“Shocker basketball ace” Gene Wiley appeared on the front page of the student newspaper in 1962 as he prepared to join the Los Angeles Lakers.
While on his way to one of the NBA’s most famous teams, his painting skills landed him on page one of The Sunflower. Wiley exhibited nine of his watercolor and tempera works, in addition to illustrations with pen and ink, in the Shocker Room in what is now the Rhatigan Student Center.
Wiley, 88, passed away June 22 in El Dorado, Kansas. Known as a quiet and reserved man, he continued painting throughout his life after a standout basketball career for the Shockers, four seasons in the NBA and a fifth in the ABA. He lived his final years at Lakepoint Nursing Home in El Dorado.