Walton back as a catalyst off bench after injury, COVID-19
In a career that’s included three ACL repairs, CU Buffs forward Dallas Walton stared down even more adversity this season.
On Dec. 20, Walton torched Washington for a career-high 22 points in a win in Seattle. But before the calendar year was over, Walton found himself back on the sidelines, the result of a pulled hamstring. That forced the 7-footer to miss CU’s two-game road swing in southern California. Then, Walton missed the next four games with COVID-19.
So what did Walton do? Hungry to resume a budding collegiate career disrupted by a right ACL tear two years ago (on top of two left ACL tears while at Arvada West), Walton became best friends with his jump rope.
“It’s definitely lonely when you have COVID and are in isolation,” Walton said. “You know the team is doing the season without you, so I focused on when I did come back, making sure I wasn’t too far behind. Whenever I had a chance I’d go to the private courtyard behind my apartment and jump rope for 30, 40 minutes every day…I’d do band squads in my living room. I knew the team was going to need my help when I came back.”
Walton said his hamstring is now “100 percent” as he’s working to get his conditioning back after coming down with the virus.
“Getting my lungs back right now is the biggest challenge, and getting re-acclimated with the team. Sometimes when you’re out that long it’s tough to get back into the mix of things, but it’s been good, and I’m chipping at it one day at a time,” Walton said. “I also am not getting too frustrated when things don’t go my way.”
The 23-year-old could play a pivotal role in CU’s bid to make the NCAA Tournament during the final month of the regular season.
In 12 games, he is averaging 8.2 points and 2.2 rebounds, and coach Tad Boyle said Walton is “almost back to where he was (in December).” That’s good news for the Buffs, considering Walton spent most of last season re-adjusting to the game after his most recent ACL injury. In CU’s loss to Utah on Saturday, Walton was 4for-4 from the field and scored 8 points.
“My hat’s off to Dallas Walton and everything he’s been through, as much physically as mentally,” Boyle said. “It’s taken a toll but here he is, and he’s having a great senior year playing on a really, really good college basketball team that’s knocking on the door of being a Top 25 team. He’s a big part of that.”
Fellow forwards Evan Battey (12.7 points per game, 6.0 rebounds), Jeriah Horne (11.0/4.8) and Jabari Walker (9.0/5.1) have helped carry the load in the frontcourt. CU’s interior depth — coupled with solid perimeter play by McKinley Wright, Eli Parquet and D’Shawn Schwartz — has CU challenging in the Pac-12.
Specifically, Boyle said he’s challenged Battey “to play with a no-pacing-yourself kind of attitude,” even as Battey put up double-digit scoring in nine of the past 11 games, with two doubledoubles.
“When Dallas went out, Evan felt like, ‘Oh, I can’t get in foul trouble,’ and it looked like he had a tendency to sometimes pace himself,” Boyle said. “I really want to get away from that, because that’s the one thing we have now with Dallas being back. We have four bigs who can really be effective each in their own different way.”
While CU was on track to qualify for the NCAA Tournament last year, the Buffs never got to dance after the tourney was canceled due to the coronavirus. So the Buffs haven’t been to the tournament since 2016 — a five-year drought that is not lost on Walton and his teammates.
“I’m focused on continuing being that big paint presence for the Buffs, getting rebounds, blocking shots, just doing everything to shut down the other team’s best big,” Walton said.
“That’s the responsibility I put on myself, and the responsibility that the team puts on me. Hopefully I can fulfill that and help get this team to the NCAA Tournament after it was taken away from us last year.
“That’s our only goal this year, to get back into that position. We’re no longer satisfied with winning seasons and not making the tournament. I’ve been here five years and have never been to an NCAA Tournament. So it’s NCAA Tournament or bust this year.”