Wesley Person

Classroom

Wesley Person has earned a 3.27 GPA while majoring in global business.

Character

“In 25 years of coaching at the DI level, I don’t think that I’ve ever been around a student-athlete who has excelled in the classroom and on the basketball court as well as Wesley. It was very obvious from his first term of summer school before his freshman season that we’d never have to worry about his focus in the classroom, and he’s been an absolute joy to coach. In fact, I’ve never had one ounce of conflict with him in that time period. That statement is so rare that it’s hard for me to even believe, but it’s the truth. He comes to practice ready to work every single day, and he takes care of all of his academic responsibilities without any oversight on our part. His athletic accomplishments are too lengthly to list, but his performance on the court has moved our program from a struggling one to one that played in the 2017 NCAA Tournament and will contend for a repeat this year. He’s also been named all-conference in basketball and academics all three years. If they could all be a little like Wesley, then this profession would be so much easier. Along the way, he’s also been involved on campus as a member of a fraternity, and he’s never turned down a request to take part in community service.” - Head Coach Phil Cunningham

Community

Person has been one of the most recognizable faces in the Troy community since his arrival to campus more than three years ago. He has visited the Boys and Girls Club on numerous occasions to speak and play with the children. He has also gone to Troy Elementary School and Troy Middle School to do the same. Person has frequented the Troy nursing home on many occasions to visit with the residents of the home and interact with them. Walk Hard is an event Person has participated in that raised money for wounded veterans. He has also aided in the efforts of the Troy Student-Athlete Advisory Committee in the work they do to raise money for relief efforts, visits to local establishments, volunteering in the community and all else.

Competition

Person is one of the most decorated athletes in program history. He has been named to the All-Sun Belt team all three years he has competed at Troy. Recently, he was selected to the preseason All-Sun Belt team. As a 3-point specialist, he entered his senior year sitting just five 3-pointers shy of tying the school record for most 3-pointers in a career. His sharp-shooting helped lead Troy to the largest wins turnaround in school history en route to the Sun Belt Championship this past season. The Trojans became the first team in Sun Belt history to win four games against higher-seeded teams to capture the title. Person was named the Most Outstanding Player for the tournament and made the all-tournament team. He had double-digit scoring in all four Sun Belt Tournament games and also scored 15 against Duke in Troy’s second-ever March Madness appearance.

Person also entered this season just 53 points shy of breaking the Troy Division I record for most points in a career. Despite the success in his first two seasons, Person was even better this past year as he improved his field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, free-throw percentage, points, assists and steals. He has started all but one game in his three years at Troy and became the first true freshman to start a season opener since 1993.