“I was just 8 years old and I didn’t realize what all was going on. I didn’t realize I’d just lost my sister.”
Christianna Michelle Wilbourn was just 18 – a senior at Normal Community High School in Bloomington, Illinois – when she died suddenly from an aneurysm on May 5, 2009.
“She was like a second mom to me,” said Wilbourn, a 6-foot-7 forward/center who joined the Wright State basketball team this season after spending the previous two years playing for Horizon League rival, the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, where he started both seasons and was named to the league’s all-freshman team.
“My sister always looked out for me,” he said. “In the mornings she made sure my lunch was ready to take along to school. She was the best sister you could ask for.”
And that’s not just a younger brother talking.
She was in the top 10 percent of her class. She tutored grade-school kids, volunteered at the Salvation Army and at local blood drives. She distributed Christmas gifts to those in need as part of Bloomington’s longstanding Brotherhood Tree charity, was in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and was involved in the children’s ministry at her family’s church.
She already was accepted into Illinois Wesleyan University.
“She was just awesome and then suddenly she was gone,” Wilbourn said. “When you’re as young as I was, that’s hard to understand.
“And now I still think about her every day. I wish she was here. I wish I could spend more time with her.
“My brother and I – at our games – we used to have a little handshake we did to pay homage to her.
“Now I still try to honor her. I try to make sure I stay on track with what she wanted me to do. She always told me to do my best, to be the best C.J. I could be. I try to keep that in mind and live up to her expectations every day.”
Some of the people around him say he’s doing a good job of that.
“He’s just a perfect fit for us and what we’re trying to get done with our players,” said WSU coach Scott Nagy. “We’re really pleased to have him as a part of our team.
“He’s a real physical player, who’s a good rebounder and plays hard all the time. And he’s a great student.
“He’s really a great kid. He’s just somebody who cares so much.”
Stephen Wilbourn, C.J.’s dad, has watched his son grow into the young man Nagy praised.
“My wife (Armie) and I taught Christian values to C.J., but I really can’t take credit for that heart of his. He was born with a good and giving heart. I just had to let it grow and try not to mess it up.
“From the time he was a little boy, he was looking out for other people, no matter what their situation.”
He spoke about the relationship his son developed with a special needs girl in his class:
“She had some challenges and he spent time with her and always checked on her.”
His voice wavered as he remembered some of those moments: “I don’t want to get emotional, but he just had a real heart for doing the right thing.”
C.J. said in the friendship came naturally:
“I knew her throughout elementary school, middle school and high school. We were the same age and always in the same class growing up. She was always nice to me and talked to me and I just wanted to return the favor and see how her day was going.
“It’s just about treating everybody the right way.”
Basketball by default
Stephen said C.J.’s basketball involvement began almost by default:
“Even as a little boy, he was a big kid. I put him in football, but they wouldn’t let him play running back against the other little kids. They put him in the offensive line, but he didn’t like that and fell out of love with football pretty quickly.
“When he was in kindergarten, he was able to catch and throw, so I put him into baseball, playing against third graders. He fell out of love with it, too.”
C.J. laughed at mention of that: “Yeah, that’s a funny story.
“The first week of practice was fine. It was just going through the basics. But the next week was the first batting we did.
“And when I got up to bat, the first pitch was inside and almost hit me. I had to dive out of the way.
“The second pitch hit me straight in the head. I remember all I did was turn around and go straight to my mom’s van. I said, ‘I’m not playing no more!’ And that was the end of my baseball career.”
“Then we put him into basketball and, well, the rest is history,” his dad said.
Playing at Normal Community High School – where his mom is a teacher – Wilbourn averaged 17.4 points and 6.2 rebounds a game as a senior. He was named the Big 12 Conference co-Player of the Year and won second team, all-state honors.
His dad said he drew interest from a couple of Ivy League schools. American University in Washington, D.C., offered him a scholarship and Furman University recruited him, as well.
He took just one recruiting trip – to Milwaukee – and signed with the Panthers.
He started 30 of 31 games as a freshman – missing the starting lineup only on Senior Night – and was a starter again last season, but was hampered by an ankle injury suffered in practice in late January.
“I didn’t know what it was and kept playing on it, but it kept getting worse,” he said.
After a Feb. 12 game at Wright State – when he hobbled to just three points and three rebounds in 19 ½ minutes on the court – he finally had an MRI and a stress fracture was discovered in his right ankle and he missed the rest of the year.
After the season he said he decided to transfer because: “I felt I just needed a change. It was nothing against my coaches or my teammates. I have the utmost respect for them. They all did right by me and I hope I did right by them.”
When he entered the transfer portal he again drew interest.
He visited Illinois Wesleyan, Christian Brothers, Quincy University and Emporia State. But then Wright State entered the picture.
“When Coach (Clint) Sargent ) hit me up and Coach Nagy gave me a shout out and I felt like it was something special.
“I knew about Wright State from playing them and going against Loudon Love. I knew all about their winning tradition.”
‘It feels like a good fit’
Thanks to a high school project, he knew more than that about Wright State.
“It’s pretty crazy really,” he laughed. “My junior year in high school, we had to write a paper in my English class about some college we might be interested in.
“I just looked at a list of colleges and, out of the blue, Wright State’s name popped up. I’m a history geek and I thought it was really cool that the school was named after the Wright Brothers.
“So I started doing some research – about the majors that were offered and everything – and that became my paper.”
And how did he do on it?
“I got an A!” he said proudly.
And now the Raiders hope he aces this Wright State venture.
“Losing Loudon was our biggest concern this season,” Nagy admitted.
The 6-foot-8 Love graduated and now is with the Texas Legends of the NBA’s G-League. He left Wright State as the school’s all-time leading rebounder (1,124 boards) and the third all-time scorer (1,792 points.) He won back-to-back Horizon League Player of the of the Year honors.
“With Loudon gone, our biggest concern was how we were going to play without him defensively. And with C.J., I remember how physical he was. He had to deal with Loudon when they played us and those two had real wrestling matches.”
Wilbourn laughed: “He was a handful. Going against him, I knew I was in for a long night. But it forced you to do your best and it was fun.”
Nagy added: “C.J. really plays hard all the time and I think he’ll really help us defensively. And on offense, we’ll give him a little more freedom than he had in Milwaukee.”
“It feels like a good fit,” Wilbourn said. “The players have treated me like family. And the coaches do a great job caring about everyone and making sure everyone is included. That’s the kind of atmosphere I was looking for.
“Along with basketball I want to make a positive impact in people’s lives. I want to give something back to other people and be a blessing for them.”
It’s one way he continues to honor his sister.
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