UF’s Walker starts to shine
GAINESVILLE (AP) – Florida coach Billy Donovan had one major concern the first time he saw 5-foot-7 point guard Erving Walker.
“I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, my 7-year-old daughter could post him up,'” Donovan said.
Walker’s new teammates were equally skeptical when he arrived on campus last summer.
“I thought he was the new manager,” forward Chandler Parsons said.
Although Walker hasn’t gotten any taller, he is looking much better to the Gators these days. He has 65 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists and six steals off the bench the last five games. He also is 19-of-20 from the free throw line during that stretch.
Florida’s little man came up really big the last two games, sinking four consecutive free throws in the final 39 seconds to secure a win against Alabama last week and then hitting several clutch shots late to hold off Vanderbilt Saturday.
With Walker’s confidence growing and his playing time increasing, the Gators (21-6, 8-4 Southeastern Conference) might rely on him even more down the stretch – beginning at No. 18 LSU Tuesday night.
“He’s fearless,” Parsons said. “He’s definitely a competitor. He’s savvy. He’s a great shooter. When you look at him, of course, people are going to say he’s small and stuff like that. His heart’s not small. He plays hard, he plays with passion. He’s just a great player.”
Just not an imposing one.
When Donovan first met Walker at the Christ the King High School in Middle Village, N.Y., he asked himself, “What am I going to do here?”
Donovan had never seen Walker play, but agreed to take a look at the Brooklyn native because longtime friend Bobby Oliva and former Florida player Nick Sanchez were his high school coaches.
“They kept saying there’s something about him,” Donovan said. “He’s competitive. He’s not leaving college early, but he’s a winner and he understands how to win games and he understands what you need to do.”
Donovan had doubts, especially since he already had undersized guards Walter Hodge and Jai Lucas, but Walker convinced the coach with his play, doing anything and everything he could to help his team win.
Walker could score, pass and run the floor, but the thing that stood out for Donovan was his confidence. It wasn’t just “surface confidence,” either. Donovan saw a deep, internal confidence that didn’t allow Walker to get rattled in any situation.
Walker’s role was supposed to be minimal this season. Lucas, who started every game last year, transferred a week before the opener. His departure meant considerably more playing time for Walker, who is averaging 10.9 points and 2.5 assists in conference play.