South Carolina women's basketball: Why Sakima Walker likes her role
After Sunday’s win over Duke that sent South Carolina to its fifth consecutive Final Four, the media throng poured into South Carolina’s locker room. As the cameras and phones crowded around a handful of players, Sakima Walker darted around.
She snatched away the pieces of paper taped to the wall of each player’s locker. They are part of a team bonding exercise that is supposed to be private, and leaving them up risked exposing everything.
That’s Sakima Walker, the self-proclaimed team mom. She barely plays, but she seems to see everything. She was the only one who realized their (almost certainly goofy) team secret was about to be exposed.
Despite appearances, that doesn’t mean Walker is the serious one sitting out all the craziness of Dawn’s Daycare.
“I don’t feel like that,” she said. “Absolutely, I’m involved.”
Maybe Walker just doesn’t have the luxury to be so outwardly nuts. She is often the last player off the bench, and in practice, the coaches often assign Walker to the Highlighters, South Carolina’s practice squad. She views herself as a tone-setter.
Top 10
- 1Breaking
Pop Isaacs
Creighton guard commits to Houston
- 2
Final AP Poll
Basketball Top 25 released
- 3Hot
Way-Too-Early Top 25
Looking ahead to 2025-26 hoops
- 4
Nick Saban
Nominated for Emmy
- 5Trending
Hailey Van Lith
Stuns as SI Swimsuit cover model
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
“I just stay ready when my name is called, help my teammates, encourage my teammates, and bring good energy,” she said.
Walker didn’t play much last year, and she took a long time to decide whether to come back to South Carolina for another season. She appeared in 31 games and played just 7.5 minutes, averging 2.0 and 1.3 rebounds. Walker played even less this season, averaging 1.4 points and 0.7 rebounds in 5.6 minutes across 15 games.
She has no regrets, insisting she is happy with how the season is gone. Walker loves her teammates. She loves being part of the team and playing basketball, even if it is mostly in practice. But there is one simple reason she came back, one that could bring Walker back for a third season.
“I wanted to win,” she said. “I want to keep winning.”
