Hometown Hero: Wilson a big presence for Baylor

Danielle Wilson, a St. John the Baptist graduate, is averaging 12.6 points and team-highs of 8.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks for Baylor. (Baylor University)

BY MARC JIMENEZ | This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

6:06 PM EST, January 7, 2008

Danielle Wilson realizes she has to have the biggest presence underneath the basket for the Baylor women's basketball team. Even though she is just a 19-year-old sophomore, the 6-foot-3 center has done just that this season.

Playing in her home state two weeks ago, Wilson turned in one of her finest games of the season, scoring 15 points with 10 rebounds and three blocks in 81-58 rout over St. John's.

"It was a good experience playing in front of my family and friends," Wilson said. "I was really excited. My mother told me to block out the crowd. She said not worry about them until after the game."

As of Friday, she is averaging 12.6 points and team-highs of 8.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks for the Lady Bears (12-1), who are ranked ninth in the country.

"I think I'm playing well," she said, "but with conference play coming up on Wednesday, I know I have to step up my game. In conference, they know your weaknesses and try to expose them. I'm really excited about it starting. I think we can go as far as we want to, as long as we play together. Our season is going pretty well so far. We're balanced. Any one can be the leading scorer."

Just three years removed from winning the NCAA championship, Baylor is indeed a well-balanced machine. Every starter is averaging double figures in scoring and has led the team in scoring at least once this season. Wilson has led the team in scoring four times while leading the team in rebounding seven times. Her highest point and rebound totals were when she netted 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a 69-42 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Dec. 19.

Wilson has been making solid contributions ever since arriving in Waco, Texas. As a freshman coming off the bench, she set a school record with 86 blocked shots, passing Carol Reeves Brandenburg, who had 76 blocks in the 1979-80 season. Her blocks were fourth best on the Big 12 single-season list and ninth best on the Baylor career chart. She ranked second in the Big 12 and 20th nationally with 2.53 blocks per game, while averaging 8.4 points and 4.9 rebounds. She was also a two-time Big 12 rookie of the week (Jan. 8 and Nov. 13) and was named to the fall Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll.

"Once I learned the system, I felt comfortable," she said about her freshman season. "To be able to get to this level and play college basketball is an accomplishment in itself. That's what motivates me: knowing I'm in one of the top programs."

At St. John the Baptist, she led her team to three straight Long Island titles. She was a McDonald's High School All-American in 2006, selected to the 2006 Parade Magazine All-America fourth team, and honored as a Street & Smith's All-America fourth-team member. She was named the Catholic High School co-player of the year in 2004, 2005 and player of the year in 2006. She totaled 2,058 points and more than 1,000 rebounds in three seasons. She holds the career points record at St. John the Baptist for boys and girls -- despite starting her career at Bay Shore -- and finished her senior year averaging a 29.1 points, 20.2 rebounds, 5.5 blocks, 3.7 steals and 3.4 assists.

Wilson, who is majoring in digital media, would like to work in sports once she graduates. She is debating whether or not she wants to be in front of the camera or behind it, but there's one thing she's certain about: she would love to play professionally.

"That's one of my main goals," she said.