Dominican Junior Duane Wilson to Play Basketball for Marquette

When Duane Wilson leaves the Dominican basketball team after next year, his hometown fans won't have to travel any farther than downtown Milwaukee to see him play again.

Wilson, a junior forward, announced his intent to play with the Marquette Golden Eagles at a pep assembly Tuesday celebrating the Knights' . The Knights ended their season with a 27-1 record with their only loss coming to the Division 1 state champions, Germantown. This is Dominican’s third WIAA state title, having won Division 3 in 2004 and 2005. Dominican also won seven championships as part of the former Wisconsin Independent School Athletic Association.

Wilson, the second-ranked junior in the state, played a crucial role in the Knights' success this year. In the championship game, he led the Knights with 24 points, four assists, four blocks and four steals.

Dominican head coach Paul Wollersheim said it will be nice to see Wilson stay in Milwaukee. Wilson slowly recovered from knee surgery in eighth grade, but now he has a 40-inch vertical and can dunk on his opponents.

"To see him back at 100 percent is great," Wollersheim said. "Watching him grow both physically and mentally through high school has been phenomenal."

In his 17 years of coaching, Wollersheim said six or seven Dominican alumni have signed to Division 1 teams, but this is the first of his players to play for Marquette.

With Jamall Taylor and other seniors on their way out, Wollersheim said Wilson, along with other key players like Diamond Stone, will play a bigger role in leading the team.

"We have some great talent coming next year, but we also have a huge void in the leadership on the team," he said. "I’m assuming Duane will help fill that void."