The New York Knicks' Gerald Wilkins glides to the basket after getting past the Los Angeles Lakers' A.C. Green, background, as Vlade Divac looks on during a December 1989 game in L.A. Wilkins played three seasons at UTC and is second on the program's all-time list in scoring average with 17.0 points per game.GREENVILLE, S.C. - Gerald Wilkins watched the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's basketball game against Furman on Saturday afternoon as a Paladins parent and fan.
During the game played just before that one, though, he was all Moc.
The former UTC standout was at Timmons Arena on Saturday to watch his daughter Holli, a senior forward at Furman, play a Southern Conference matchup against his alma mater. It was the second game of a doubleheader between the schools, with Furman winning the earlier men's game 70-55 and UTC taking the women's game 56-50.
Wilkins starred for the Mocs from 1982 to '85 before becoming a second-round draft pick of the New York Knicks. He played 13 seasons in the NBA, spending time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Vancouver (now Memphis) Grizzlies and Orlando Magic in addition to the Knicks.
The brother to Hall of Famer and Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins and the father of Damien Wilkins (who played in the NBA from 2004 to 2013), Gerald finished his NBA career with 11,736 points, 2,697 assists, 2,646 rebounds and 907 steals.
In three seasons at UTC, he scored 1,449 points, and he is second all-time in scoring average for the program at 17.0 points per game. He said Saturday that Chattanooga - both the town and its flagship school - still have a place in his heart.
He hasn't been back to UTC in a number of years, but he plans to be in attendance when Furman's women play at McKenzie Arena on Feb. 4. Holli leads the Paladins in scoring, averaging 13.3 points as well as 4.1 rebounds per game.
"It's always nice to go back," Gerald said. "My wife is from there, my daughters were born there, so it's nice to go back.
"I remember the Roundhouse - when it was that - and I stayed in Chattanooga once I left there and played pro ball."
UTC's men host Wofford the same evening the UTC women play Furman, but he hopes to see a better performance than what he saw Saturday evening, saying that it seemed "they just didn't have the energy that they've been playing with all year."
Yes, he has been keeping up. He knew the team's record going into the Furman game and was impressed with the job first-year coach Matt McCall, a former Florida assistant under Billy Donovan, has been doing as the Mocs' newest leader.
He also knows where the program was during his time, winning 74 games in three seasons with an NCAA tournament appearance in 1983 and NIT appearances the following two seasons.
The 1982-83 team finished with a No. 15 national ranking.
"The program has come a long way," he said. "At one time, it was lulled to sleep in the last five to seven years, but they're trying to get back to the top. It was a tough loss for them today to be where they are, but I see the growth.
"They're where they need to continue to be if they're going to do something and continue to grow."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @gene henleytfp.