We caught up with the brilliant and insightful DeMarco Wilkinson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
DeMarco, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
My mom always said she believed in one husband. My confidence and self esteem comes from my mother. I am the youngest of her three sons and my dad past away when I was almost three years old. My mom was a very old fashioned woman so she never remarried. She always told us that she believed in mine husband and my father was her true sole mate. Growing, I’d face many tough challenges but she believed in no excuses. “You do the job and you do your very best. You’re the best and there’s no one like you. And you can do absolutely anything you want to do”. Those are words that most commonly came from her. While going through school, she didn’t accept B’s from me. Only A’s would do. She grew up with 4 sisters and 5 brothers in the south and she never let a time go by when she didn’t remind us of the struggle for blacks to have even the basic things. Education was a must and excelling in education was our way of showing our appreciation for those that studied before us and the many of people who fought for the rights of blacks and minorities to be able to obtain education.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
In the Fall of 2013, I joined the IBA as an assistant coach of the Battle Creek Flight Professional Basketball Team. As the assistant coach, I was in charge of scouting, coaching and on the court player development. In 2013, my coaching helped the Battle Creek Flight to the IBA playoffs. I then utilized my skills in Finance and Marketing to help players secure jobs / contracts over-seas, as well as opportunities to participate in NBA Camps.
In 2014 I became the Co-Owner and Head Coach of the Grand Rapids Fusion Professional IBA Team. As a new Head Coach, I continued player development, training and scouting. My dynamic leadership has led the Fusion to its very first professional IBA Championship. I’ve been able to secure a strong influential and important relationship with the Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Indiana Pacers. At the same time, I was able to produce 11 All-Stars, IBA League MVP, Rookie of the Year and League’s 6th Man of the Year. My goal was to have the Fusion get established and continue to have successes in the community and on the court. In 2015 and 2016, the Fusion reached the IBA’s Play off and Division Championships. I helped produced a great group of all-stars and numerous players receiving contracts to play over-seas.
Im a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan. A 15 year NCAA and high school basketball official, who played at Catholic Central & Creston High school before receiving athletic scholarships from the University of Findlay and the University of Michigan. While participating in the NCAA, I was a 3 year All-American & Academic All-American athlete. I qualified for the 1992 Olympic team trials for Track N Field in the 100 meter hurdles. In 1994 I began my professional basketball career in Milan Italy where I played for 4 years. I then transitioned to coaching and scouting where I continue to have success.
As the head coach and Co-Owner of the Grand Rapids Fusion Basketball organization, I coach and prepare men to be the best leaders, and champions. Through brotherhood, education and community involvement, players of the Grand Rapids Fusion show their pride through service and sacrifice. While many athletes may leave college and not know of their professional opportunities, the Fusion provides a high level of professional basketball with opportunities and an avenue to obtain an NBA contract.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1. I’m not afraid to be me.
2. I’m very O.C.D about being organized and being prepared.
3. I’m a great compartmentalizer.
We prepare so that we get the outcome we desire. Weather it’s a game or a test or for a promotion at work. But just because we prepare for something, doesn’t mean we are guaranteed the outcome we desire. There are plenty of times we’ve studied hard for a test and still didn’t get the A+ we wanted.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
The most impactful thing my mom did for me was pulling me out of public school and sending me to catholic school. It was a time that our neighborhood was quickly turning negative and she could see the bad things beginning to happen. She knew the road I would go down and didn’t want that. As a new middle school student, she enrolled me into St. Thomas Apostle school. She knew I’d be 1 of only 3 black students in the entire school. And she knew I’d have different obstacles. But those obstacles she also knew that I was ready for.
