Pastner Taps Anthony Wilkins to Fill Assistant Coach Position
THE FLATS - Anthony Wilkins, an Atlanta native and former Kent State star who spent the past four seasons as an assistant coach at Tulane, has been named to fill one of the two vacant assistant coaching positions for the Yellow Jackets, head coach Josh Pastner announced Tuesday.
Wilkins, 37, will be involved with on-court development of Tech’s players and work with the offense in addition to recruiting responsibilities. Pastner still has one coaching position to fill on his staff.
“Anthony is an outstanding coach on the court and excellent with player development, which is critical in our program,” said Pastner. “He has the ability to evaluate and recruit at a high level and help us continue to build for the future. Anthony has worked for five years at a prestigious academic institution, which should serve him well here, and will be a tremendous representative for Georgia Tech.”
At Tulane, he served as an assistant coach for four seasons under two head coaches – Ed Conroy and Mike Dunleavy - after serving as director of basketball operations during his first year with the Green Wave. At Tulane, Wilkins handled game strategy and scout prep responsibilities along with player development and recruiting duties. He also had six years of professional playing experience prior to entering the coaching profession.
“As I was growing up in Atlanta, Georgia Tech set the standard for high-level athletics,” said Wilkins. ‘I’m humbled to have the opportunity to come home and help Josh restore that feeling in McCamish Pavilion. The storied tradition of excellence in this program calls for the very best in recruiting, coaching and developing high-level student athletes. I’m excited to help bring Georgia Tech basketball back to national prominence.”
He went to Tulane after serving one season as player development director at his alma mater Kent State (2012-13), where he helped guide the Golden Flashes to a 21-14 overall record and an appearance in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. During that season, he completed studies for his bachelor's degree in communications from Kent State.
Prior to that, Wilkins co-founded and served as associate head coach of Stackhouse Elite AAU travel team in 2011 in Atlanta, and he also served as a counselor and coach at the NBA Top 100 camp. His player development background includes training draft eligible players, along with a number of professional players currently playing in the NBA or abroad.
Wilkins began his coaching career after spending six years playing professional basketball in Sweden, Ukraine, Mexico and South Korea. He played in the NBA’s Development League (now G League) for Fort Worth and Tulsa (2005-06) and Bakersfield (2007-08). Wilkins also participated in the Atlanta Hawks Vet Camp in 2005 and played on the organization’s summer league team in 2006.
As a senior at Kent State, Wilkins was co-captain of the 2002-03 team that went 22-9 and advanced to the NIT. He started all 31 games and was named the team’s defensive player of the year while scoring 9.9 points per game and hitting 39 percent of his three-point field goals. As a junior in 2001-02, his Kent State team finished 30-6 and advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament.
Born in Atlanta, Wilkins lived in the city for much of his childhood and attended Therrell High School for two years before finishing his high school studies at Glenville High School in Cleveland, Ohio.