STILLWATER - Jacob Walker didn’t arrive in college basketball with the kind of recruiting buzz that usually follows a future high-major guard. A year ago, he chose Sam Houston over offers from Radford, Tennessee State, Jacksonville, Alabama State, Jackson State, Arkansas State and Bradley.
Now he’s at Oklahoma State, and he’s already shown he can make the jump.
Walker said Tuesday that the path has been built on patience, trust and the chance to prove himself.
“I always told myself that if I kept my head down, the sky is the limit,” Walker said Tuesday. “Sam Houston was a great starting point for me.
Obviously, I didn’t think it would flip the way that it did. I didn’t think that I would play the amount I did, but obviously God happened and I was able to get out there.
…
“It was a rough process starting off because I didn’t know if I’d get out there, I’ll be honest. I didn’t know if I’d have a shot, but like I said, guys trusted me, coaches trusted me.
And Coach (Steve) Lutz has trusted me in this recruitment process, and I have teammates that trust me again. So, that’s really what it’s been based around, just having guys around you that trust you.
Once you have that the sky’s the limit.”
That trust turned into production fast. As a true freshman, Walker ended up winning Conference-USA’s Sixth Man of the Year after averaging 11.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists over his first 34 college games.
The 6-foot-1 point guard didn’t spend last season in a high-major uniform, but he did see what that level looked like from the other side. By Dec. 2, Sam Houston had already faced Texas Tech, Utah and Oklahoma State.
Against the Cowboys in Stillwater, Walker delivered one of his best games of the season. He finished with a then-season-high 17 points and hit 3 of 6 from beyond the arc. Sam Houston took a 44-37 lead into halftime before Oklahoma State took over after the break.
“I had a solid game,” said Walker, chuckling to Ben Ahmed next to him. “I had a solid game, going all the way in the second half, we thought we were gonna beat y’all.
We thought we were gonna win, and then obviously Parsa Fallah happened and Kanye Clary happened. Game got out of hand, and Oklahoma state ended up winning.
“I still think about that. I still think about that game a lot, but it was a good experience.
It was a great crowd. I knew this was something I wanted to be a part of because of the fanbase, the coaching staff and obviously the great players they had last year was once again a no-brainer for me.”
Walker has already made a strong first impression in an Oklahoma State uniform. During the Cowboys’ trip to Puerto Rico this summer, he scored in double figures in all three games, shot 4-for-10 from 3-point range and averaged three assists per game. In the final game, he posted 14 points and six assists while going 2-for-3 from deep.
With so many new faces on the roster, Steve Lutz still has decisions to make about how the rotation will settle. But Walker said Tuesday that he sees a team that’s connected, and he’s comfortable with the work it takes to earn minutes.
“I played defense to get on the court at Sam Houston,” Walker said. “I couldn’t get on early.
Had a lot of turnover issues. I wasn’t shooting the ball the best.
Obviously, defense turned it around for me, and then coach trusted me with the ball more and I was able to show that I can play too.”
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