South Carolina women's basketball: Get to know Sakima Walker

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Get to know Sakima Walker, the juco national player of the year who joins the Gamecocks this season.

(Questions have been paraphrased to provide additional context, and the order adjusted to make it easier to read.)

Walker originally committed to Rutgers out of high school. She spent two years there, averaging 4.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 10.7 minutes across 32 games. Academic issues forced Walker to transfer to junior college to get back on track academically.

How would you describe your path to this point?
Walker: The last couple of years it was just like, COVID and stuff like that. JUCO was a good experience for me, I think. At first like I looked at it as like it’s going backwards, but I think it helped really get me back to where I want to be. I was the oldest so it allowed me to be put in a leadership role. And I think just carry that over here with me. The change of pace is different, being high-paced and going down and coming back up. It’s an adjustment.

Why did you go to junior college?
Walker: I was dealing with some things at Rutgers mentally. So I just like fell off academically. I dug myself in a really deep hole. Coming back from that I had to go JUCO because I wasn’t eligible to transfer. So I went JUCO, got back on track. I was on the President’s list, Dean’s list. I  graduated with honors so I’m proud of that. Yeah, I’m better now.

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How did you get back on track academically?
Walker: It wasn’t as bad. I took 21 hours in the summer, had seven classes. Summer courses are a lot shorter, so they go by quick. I was really just really like staying on top of the study hall, really getting ahead. I had one in-person class in the summer so that was really good for me. It gave me time to catch up and work ahead. So that was good. Then during the school year, I had less classes of course, but they were like talking to like other schools that are in the SEC, because I told my coach, that’s where I wanted to be. So he was just seeing what credits would transfer to the SEC, so that helped me get back to where I was.

How did that work ethic carry over to the court?
Walker: (long pause) Seeing where I was before and like how I was able to dig myself out of that, I feel like it translates to the court because like whenever I’m down, or I feel like my teammates are down, I feel like I’ll be able to help motivate them or to help bring myself back up.

What did you need to work on at Rutgers that you were able to develop in junior college?
Walker: I would just say leadership, I really found my voice there. Teaching and like helping like teaching you like my younger teammates and stuff. It really allowed me to like really dive into the game and digest bits and pieces and really focus on what I needed to work on.

In her only season at Northwest Florida State, Walker was named the national player of the year and led the Raiders to the junior college national championship. She averaged 16.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.4 assists in 29.6 minutes, and with two years of eligibility remaining (she has an optional covid year left), Walker was in demand.

South Carolina hadn’t recruited Walker in high school, but the Gamecocks did recruit her teammate Jordan Horston, and assistant coach Jolette Law remembered Walker.

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How did you connect with South Carolina?
Walker: So Coach Law actually recruited my teammate in high school, Jordan Horston, and she saw me working out and she asked my high school coach about me and who I was. He had told her that I was gonna be recruited then, but if she saw my name or heard about me on the JUCO circuit and she asked him like, is this the same girl? I guess it all kind of went from there. My coach just called me one day he was out on the road, like ‘Oh, I got a big phone call today.’ I’m like, OK, and he says South Carolina, and I’m like, oh yeah. I was really excited. So then I got on the phone with Coach Staley the next day, Coach Boyer and we talked, and she told me that they were offering a scholarship.

Were you sure you wanted to go to South Carolina from the start?
Walker: I was thinking about other places, my final two were Ole Miss and South Carolina. It was very neck-and-neck.

Why was this the right place for you?
Walker: I’d say just being coached by the greatest, just the notoriety around South Carolina, and just the platform that they’re on and that they’ve built. I think it was good for me being off the scene for like, I guess you say three years. I’m a senior now I think we just got to be on that platform so to get where I want to be. 

Do you like the opportunities that you now have to kind of join the big stage?
Walker: I do. (In JUCO) We had a decent amount of fans … But of course, we didn’t have as many fans and as big of an arena as here. It’s definitely a different platform, but it was something I was looking forward to doing and I knew that I wanted. I was looking for a school with a huge fan base (and) support, especially being so far away from home. I also wanted to be somewhere I could be on TV.

Is the adjustment easier with so many new players this year?
Walker: It does. Yeah.

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Do the freshmen turn to you because of your experience?
Walker: For the most part, yeah. Everybody just communicates to each other. It’s a really nice, good environment, hearing everybody talk and stuff. We’re all like newcomers so we’re still learning the system, but we’re learning and helping each other together.

How would you describe your game?
Walker: I would say I’m definitely very versatile. I can shoot, step out mid-range, three, rebound, post up. A little bit of everything.

Is there extra pressure because you are replacing Aliyah Boston?
Walker: Not really. I think I know what comes with being at South Carolina. I know the expectations and stuff. So I just feel like I know I’ve got big shoes to fill, especially being an SEC in general and the level of competition.

What do you expect your role to be this year? 
Walker: I have high expectations. I do want to start. That’s my goal. But of course, I’m gonna have to work for it.

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