He was nicknamed Canada’s Wilt and more than measured up.
Centre Greg Wiltjer, intimidating yet skilled at six-foot-11, dominated many keys on courts as he came out of the Parkland Secondary Panthers to win a national championship with the University of Victoria Vikes and represent Canada in the Olympics and three FIBA world championships.
The Island product, selected in the second round 43rd overall in the 1984 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls, is in the Class of 2023 named Wednesday for induction into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame.
Wiltjer led Parkland to the Island championship and into the semifinals of the 1979 B.C. high school basketball championship tournament and played in the NCAA Pac-12 with the Oregon State Beavers. With a year of university eligibility remaining, Wiltjer returned to his hometown in 1983-84 to help lead the UVic Vikes to their fifth of seven consecutive Canadian championships along with fellow graduating Eli Pasquale.
“We were undefeated that season and Greg was a big part of the reason for that with more than 20 points and 20 rebounds per game,” said Ken Shields, who coached UVic’s championship era.
“He is a humble guy and a good person and I enjoyed working with him.”
Wiltjer and Pasquale would team up again, with 1983 UVic Vikes graduate forward Gerald Kazanowski, as Canada made it to the semifinals of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics before losing to Michael Jordan and the U.S. and in the bronze-medal game to Yugoslavia. Wiltjer was second in rebounding in the 1984 Olympics.
“Greg started in the Olympics over [Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame forward and three-time NBA champion] Bill Wennington,” noted Shields.
Wiltjer was also part of the Canadian team, along with UVic stars Pasquale, Kazanowski and Kelly Dukeshire, that upset Charles Barkley, Karl Malone and the U.S. en route to gold in the 1983 Edmonton World University Games. Wiltjer won bronze with Canada in the 1985 World University Games in Kobe, Japan.
Wiltjer, like Pasquale and Kazanowski, was drafted into the NBA but was part of an era, unlike today, in which Canadian players were given scant consideration by the big league.
“Greg was close to cracking the NBA and had an outstanding career in Europe,” said Shields.
That included winning the FIBA European Cup Winners’ Cup with FC Barcelona and two Greek League and Greek Cup championships with Club Aris Thessaloniki in his eight professional seasons in Europe.
Wiltjer becomes the 11th Islander inducted into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame, following Pasquale, Kazanowski, Steve Nash, Ken and Kathy Shields, Billy Robinson and Norm Baker. Islanders Doug Peden and Art and Chuck Chapman are in as part of the inducted 1936 Berlin Olympics silver-medallist Canadian team.
Also being inducted in the Class of 2023 are Rowan Barrett, who played alongside Nash in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, former WNBA all-star and 2000 Sydney Olympian Tammy Sutton-Brown, 1984 L.A. Olympian and Pan Am Games medallist Alison Lang, former UBC Thunderbirds star Liz Silcott, three-time Paralympics gold-medallist Joey Johnson and former referee Don Cline.
The Class of 2023 will be enshrined July 14 in Toronto.
