Sarah Wolff ’28

by Sarah Wolff ’28 on November 20, 2025

For 90 years, The Cowl has followed Providence College’s achievements, heartbreaks, and defining moments. Few people have shaped our school’s athletic history as deeply as Lenny Wilkens ’60, and his recent passing has left the community grieving as well as reflecting on his profound greatness. As we celebrate our newspaper’s anniversary, it felt only right that we honor one of the greatest Friars to ever walk our campus. Wilkens was a man whose legacy extends past the sport, shaping future generations on and off the court.

Arriving on campus in the fall of 1956, Wilkens was not yet the Hall of Famer the world would soon know him to be. He was just a young man from the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY. Yet, he had quick instincts and a work ethic that immediately set him apart. People who knew him when he was just a young man and those who knew him decades later use the same qualities to describe him—humility, poise, and unwavering competitiveness. Nothing about the way he acted or played demanded attention, but everything about him earned respect.

On the court, Wilkens was redefining what it meant to be a point guard. He wasn’t simply running an offense; he was conducting it. His athletic IQ was off the charts—he controlled tempo, dissected the defense effortlessly, and most importantly, prioritized his teammates. His brand of leadership was unmistakable, and his legacy is embedded in that. By the time he graduated, he was a two-time All-American and had led the team to their first NIT appearance in 1959 as well as the NITfinals in 1960. PC retired Wilken’s No. 14 jersey in 1996, the first Friar to have this honor, as he is a symbol of what the College could produce when talent is met with character.

His professional career more than fulfilled the promise that young Wilkens showed at PC. Drafted No. 6 overall in 1960, he began his NBA journey with the St. Louis Hawks, where he quickly became one of the league’s smartest point guards. During his time in St. Louis, he had multiple All-Star selections. In 1968, he moved to the Seattle SuperSonics, where he helped shape the team’s identity and the franchise’s eventual rise. From Seattle, he joined the Cleveland Cavaliers, a young team that needed his stable presence to help reach their potential. He finished his playing career with the Portland Trail Blazers, taking on the impressive role of not only being a player, but a coach, too. His transition to coaching is proof of how widely respected his basketball knowledge had become.

Wilkens carried being a Friar with him everywhere. Not just as a line on his resume, but as a part of who he was. He spoke about PC with genuine love and credited the college for shaping not only his skills, but also his values. His passing feels immense because his life was immense, and he embodied the idea that true greatness requires both talent and character. Wilken’s legacy lives on each time a new Friar steps onto the court—we will miss him dearly.