Walker is ready for spotlight, pressure
CORAL GABLES — Lonnie Walker IV arrived at Miami last summer ready to work.
Though the well-regarded prospect brought with him to the Hurricanes men’s basketball team a glittering resume that included both McDonald’s All-American and Jordan Brand All-American honors, Walker understood that as a freshman he’d have to prove himself.
The coaches who’d recruited him wanted to know they’d been right to give him a scholarship. His teammates, most of whom had been on campus longer and were far more familiar with the Miami system than he was, wanted to know whether Walker was worthy of all the accolades and recognition.
And Walker was eager to prove himself.
Then during a July workout, he tore the meniscus in his right knee. It happened during just his fourth workout on campus.
The injury required surgery, and although Walker returned to basketball in time for the Hurricanes’ season opener in November, the freshman said it took weeks for him to regain his confidence and feel comfortable on the floor again.
But just as the 24th-ranked Hurricanes (22-8, 11-7) prepare to open ACC Tournament play in Brooklyn against either North Carolina or Syracuse late tonight, Walker is thriving. And while those outside the Miami program may be wondering whether this postseason run will be his only one as a Hurricane — Walker currently projects as a potential lottery pick in this year’s NBA draft — the freshman insists his focus right now is laser sharp. He’s determined to help the Hurricanes win a championship.
“You can’t have five toes in the college and five toes in the NBA,” said Walker, who is averaging 11.6 points per game and was this week named both an AllACC honorable-mention selection and and All-ACC Rookie Team selection. “I have to keep my 10 toes in college right now and worry about the task ahead before I worry about my future.”
That mature approach to decision-making is part of what has made Walker, 19, a hero of sorts to many in his hometown of Reading, Pa., where the Hurricanes played a game this past season.
In an area he acknowledges is known for both poverty and crime, Walker stood tall, shunning offers from high schools throughout Pennsylvania that hoped to lure the talented 6-foot-4 guard to their campuses — and basketball teams.
Ultimately, Walker stayed in Reading. His goal? To make his community proud, to lead Reading High School to a state championship and to set an example for the youth of the city. With hard work, he wanted them to know that they, too, could find their way out of the difficult circumstances some of them had grown up in.
“There are no examples in Reading,” said Walker’s mother, Tamica Wall. “You have people who say they want to do and they’re going to do, but they don’t do it. But Lonnie, from the moment he went to Reading High, the kids loved him. They love him. And he’d always say to them, ‘Be sure you stay in school and respect your parents.’ He got kids doing so well in school, they’re all into basketball now. There were kids that were cutting school that are going to school now and playing sports. He’s been a great inspiration to these children. They love him and he loves them.”
This week, Walker’s thoughts center on finding ways to get Miami back into the ACC Tournament championship game and help the Hurricanes enter the NCAA Tournament on a positive note. He knows Hurricanes fans in Reading — and beyond — will be watching.
His mother watching, too. will be