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Glenn Wilkes

Glenn Wilkes (1928-2020)

Teams coached: Stetson Hatters
Stetson record^: 552-435 (.000)
Overall record^: 552-435 (.000)

Career Accomplishments:

  • NCAA National Championships:  0
  • NCAA Tournament Appearances:  0
  • NIT Championships:  0
  • NIT Appearances:  0
  • NCAA Division II Tournament Appearances:  3  (1967, 1970, 1971)
  • NAIA Tournament Appearances:  3  (1960, 1962, 1963)

Awards:

Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):

1957-1993 Stetson
1952-1957 Brewton-Parker JC

Glenn Wilkes Facts

  • Dr. Glenn Newton Wilkes
  • Born November 28, 1928
  • Died November 21, 2020
  • Hometown: Eatonton, Georgia
  • Alma Mater: Mercer University (BA, 1950) / Vanderbilt University (PhD)
  • The Georgia-native played for head coach James Cowan at nearby Mercer
    • After graduating, Wilkes served in the US Army during the Korean War
  • Upon returning to the States, spent five seasons as the head coach at Brewton-Parker JC in Mount Vernon, GA
  • First arrived at Stetson in 1957, taking over as head coach of the then-NAIA program
    • Coached the Hatters for 36 seasons, helping transition from NAIA to Division II and eventually to Division I play
    • Went 552-435 overall and 328-282 in the 22 years he coached at the D-I level
    • Finished above .500 26 times and reached six postseason tournaments (three NAIA, three D-II)
    • Worked in a number of other capacities during his time at Stetson, including a tenure as the school’s athletic director
    • Stetson renamed the floor at the Edmunds Center “Glenn Wilkes Court” before a Stetson/Mercer game in December 2004
  • Known as the “Godfather of Florida Basketball,” Wilkes ran a variety of basketball camps throughout his adult life
    • The Glenn Wilkes Basketball Camps were the first of their kind in the south and ultimately expanded to include the first girls’ basketball camps and first camps specifically geared towards basketball officiating
    • Wilkes ran the camps personally for many years, with help from various family members and coaching friends
    • Also has a long-standing relationship with Nike Basketball Camps and the Shooting Stars Point Guard and Big Man Camps
    • Worked with USA Basketball and was later assistant director of the Michael Jordan Flight School Basketball Camp
  • Spent four years (1994-98) as an advance scout for Los Angeles Lakers head coach Del Harris
  • Has authored several books about basketball and coaching in general
  • Now runs World Class Basketball with his daughter, a company that facilitates international trips for college basketball programs
    • Wilkes often accompanies programs on those trips, even well into his 80s and now 90s
    • Also runs Basketball’s Best Camps, which take him all over the world teaching the game
  • Inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball HOF in 2014 for his overall contributions to the game
    • Also: Mercer Athletics HOF (1971), Florida Sports HOF (1981), Stetson Athletics HOF (1983) & Atlantic Sun HOF (2015)
  • Passed away in November 2020 just a week-shy of his 92nd birthday; survived by his wife, Jan, and their six children
    • Son Glenn Jr. played at Stetson before embarking on a long career as head women’s coach at Rollins College (FL)

Glenn Wilkes Coaching Tree

 

^ records include seasons at the NAIA, NCAA Division II and NCAA Division I levels only