South Carolina basketball signee's case for Mr. Basketball
South Carolina basketball signee EJ Walker will join the Gamecocks this summer, but the forward has some unfinished business in his home state. The class of 2025 commitment from Lloyd Memorial High School in Erlanger, Kentucky is one of the nominees for Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball award. While he is not considered a favorite for the award, perhaps he should be.
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This season, the younger Walker is averaging a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds per game. He’s also dishing out four assists to his teammates. On defense, he is protecting the rim to the tune of 1.5 blocks per contest. Perhaps most impressively, though, Walker is scoring with ridiculous efficiency. Despite being the focal point of every opposing game plan, he is shooting 56.4% and 41% from the 3-point line.
The all-time leading scorer at Lloyd Memorial, Walker has made the small school program a viable player in the basketball-crazed Bluegrass State. He has led his Juggernauts team to impressive records during his four years at the school. According to MaxPreps’ archives, Walker has a chance to help Lloyd Memorial to its third-straight district title. In the four years before he joined the team, the program had just one winning record.
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On3’s industry rankings consider Walker as the No. 179 player in the country in the 2025 cycle. Also the No. 2 prospect in Kentucky and No. 39 national power forward, he brings a lot of potential to Columbia alongside his high school production.
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Standing at 6’8″ and weighing 220 pounds, Walker is a multi-positional player who can do a little bit of everything. He is a skilled forward who can operate in the paint or further away from the basket. Walker is a knockdown shooter from outside, but he can get to the rim, as well. He also has tremendous defensive potential and told GamecockCentral in the fall that he is “willing to do whatever it takes to win.”
That rare combination of size, skill, and team-first mentality will serve him well in Columbia.
For now, though, Walker will finish his final season of high school ball over the next couple of months. Hopefully, he will arrive in Columbia this summer with some well-deserved hardware.
