University of Virginia Library

Walker: Cavs' Hope, UNC's Scourge

By FLETCHER THOMPSON

Out on the court, he's a
pter of attention. Only a
first-year man, he has already
appeared in Sport's Illustrated
and been called by UNC coach
Dean Smith the "second
coming of Rick Barry."

He grabs a rebound and
trots down court on his
still-like legs to swish a a
jumper. There he is, Wally the
Boy Wonder. Virginia's hope
and North Carolina's scourge.
Wally Walker, superstar-to-be.

Or so Cavalier basketball
fans would like to believe.
Perhaps the most heralded
recruit in Virginia history,
Walker has lived up to all
expectations, earning a starting
position after an early-season
injury and shooting about 70%
from the floor.

Then there's Wally Walker
the person. What goes on under
that boyish visage? How does
the "rookie", as his teammates
call him, feel about all the
notoriety?

Surprisingly, Walker seems
pretty nonchalant about his
instant stardom. Although he
admits to being "somewhat

nervous" before games, he says
he doesn't feel any added
pressure because of his wide
exposure. "Most of the
pressure is on Barry Parkhill,"
he explains. "That takes a lot
off the rest of the players."

On the floor, he does none
of the jumping up and down
and fist-shaking that have
become the trademark of
Maryland's freshman, John
Lucas. Always poised, he
simply does his job without
any embellishment, ignoring
the taunts of hostile crowds.
"They don't bother me," he
says of them. "Their primary
effect is to fire up the other
team."

Walker's first contact with
the high-pressure world of ACC
basketball came between his
junior and senior years at Penn
Manor High School in
Millersville, Pa. It was then that
he began to draw the attention
of college coaches although he
was not exactly deluged with
offers.

During his senior year, when
he averaged 31 points a game,
but Walker quickly narrowed
his choices to Virginia, Notre
Dame, and North Carolina. His
final decision was based on the
the offers started to pour in,
fact that Virginia was closest to
home and had a good academic
reputation. Most important
though, was his respect for Bill
Gibson, who was the first
coach to recruit him.

Among the many who tried
to land him was Maryland's
Lefty Driesell, whose recruiting
prowess is legendary even if his
coaching talents are not. "I
wasn't too encouraging toward
Driesell. He was looking for
guards mainly and considered
me to be a big man," says
Walker of his decision to
bypass College Park.

Thus far, the marriage
between the Wonder and the
U. appears to be a happy one.

"The greatest pressure was
in organizing my schedule to
include both basketball and
studies. Two or three hours a
day studying is usually enough,
I've found."

Eventually, Walker wants to
graduate to the professional
ranks. "That's my dream," he
says matter-of-factly. No one
has made any attempts to lure
him away from Charlottesville
yet, but performances similar
to his North Carolina showing
("I hope people don't expect
me to shoot like that all the
time.") should net him some
before he graduates.

In the meantime, he
contents himself with
weightlifting and running in
addition to his regular
workouts in preparation for
the big time. Outside of
basketball, he says he has no
great interests.

"Then would you put
yourself in the Barry Parkhill
basketball-is-my-life
syndrome?" I asked.

"Yes," he answered.