THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 25, 1995 TAG: 9502250340
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
Wilson Washington gazed out a window, contemplating his personal history. Then he spoke, and the sunlight into the used-car dealership where he works glistened off his suddenly misting dark eyes.
``What you have to endure is an endless list of questions,'' said the man regarded as Old Dominion's most talented basketball player ever. `` `Do you miss it? How much do you miss it?'
``How could you not miss something that you were doing since before puberty? I miss the camaraderie. You can't bond like that anymore.
``Other than the birth of my children, there's nothing more important in my life than the memories I have of Old Dominion and those guys. It's hard not to get emotional when you talk about the best time in your life.''
It is a life that has been laid bare for public scrutiny more than once since 1975, when Washington, then a 6-foot-9 sophomore, helped lift ODU to the Division II national championship. There were two more seasons at ODU, during which the team went 62-18 in games he played. Then an unfulfilling, two-year stint in the NBA, where he was dogged by his relationship with drug users.
He followed that with a few seasons as a pro in Italy and Holland, where his own drug use continued and eventually led to his arrest in Norfolk nearly 12 years ago for marijuana possession. Later, he ran into trouble for parole violations.
The problems, the restlessness, his passion for living and playing for the moment are what many people associate with Washington. But Washington, the son of a Baptist minister, talks a more mellow game today.
``I'm happy with myself now,'' said Washington, 39, who is second at ODU in blocked shots and third in rebounds. ``I didn't quite make it as a pro the way I wanted to, but I'm happy. I don't think the world owes me a debt.''
In a recent interview, Washington, who attended Booker T. Washington High School, referred often to what seems to be a debt he still owes the fans and teammates who welcomed him home after his aborted stay at the University of Maryland. He transferred after one semester when he didn't find the support and feelings of familiarity he thrived on, he said.
That search for buddies, who turned out to be negative influences, and his failure to recognize soon enough the all-business nature of the NBA quickened his release from the New Jersey Nets in 1979, Washington said. He was a second-round draft pick of the Philadelphia 76ers in 1977, but was traded that season to New Jersey.
By then he had aligned himself with ``the wrong people,'' he said. Still, what he once called recreational drug use that dated to his college days never hindered his performance, Washington said. And he claimed nobody from New Jersey ever confronted him with the issue or cited it as reason for his release.
He bolted to Europe, but never developed into a star to match his potential.
``The only thing I wish for Wilson is that he had worked harder to be a better basketball player,'' said Jeff Fuhrmann, who led the 1975 championship team in scoring. ``I played five years for Athletes in Action and Wilson had more talent than anybody I ever played with or against.
``I'm sad for him because he had ability and talent as good as some of the top NBA players. I remember telling him, `Hey, Wilson, would you work on your 15-foot jump shot?' He was so talented he didn't have to work so hard on his game.''
Washington is the only member of the '74-75 team without a degree from ODU. Divorced, with two children, Washington said he still loves the game but rarely plays in the gym or playground anymore. The spirit of fun that used to punctuate pickup games, he said, has been overwhelmed by a seriousness, and sometimes even violence, that makes him recoil.
After all, they say there is nothing Washington ever liked better than a little fun and lots of friendship.
``My father always told me take care of your friends, because in this life you'll never have more than a car full,'' Washington said with a smile. ``Fortunately, I've got a small van full.'' MEMO: Main story on page C1
ILLUSTRATION: Photo by GARY C. KNAPP,
Wilson Washington: ``I miss the camaraderie. It's hard not to get
emotional when you talk about the best time in your life.''
Photo COURTESY OF OLD DOMINION
Wilson Washington is second at ODU in blocked shots and third in
rebounds.
KEYWORDS: OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL TEAM by CNB