UK WBB Signs Elite Point Guard Jada Walker In Early Signing Period

0
Courtesy UK Athletics

Elite point guard Jada Walker, who averaged over 26 points and five steals per game last season as a junior at Henrico High School in Richmond, Virginia, has signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Kentucky women’s basketball program for the 2021-22 season, UK head coach Matthew Mitchell announced Wednesday.

“I cannot imagine a player that’s a better fit for our program than Jada Walker,” Mitchell said. “We are over the moon excited that she has decided to be a Kentucky Wildcat. The first time I saw her play, I immediately fell in love with how hard she plays and how aggressive she is on both ends of the floor. She loves to play up-tempo, which will make her a valuable asset to our program. Jada emulates all of the qualities that we look for in a point guard. She is confident, has a high basketball IQ and is a leader on the floor. Our staff cannot wait to get her on campus next year and officially begin her career at Kentucky.”

Walker, a four-star guard by ESPN.com which ranks her the 18th best point guard and 87th overall player in the 2021 class, has received universal praise for her strong play. ESPN.com evaluated the 5-foot-7 guard at the Nike Nationals in 2019 as a “confident game manager that executes in half-court game; left-handed playmaker knocks down jumpers with range to the arc; elusive off the dribble, penetrates and finds a way to the rim, takes contact and finishes plays, gets to the stripe; brings consistency, toughness to the back court; clock manager, basketball IQ.”

The crafty guard had a breakout junior season at Henrico High School averaging 26.3 points and 5.9 steals per game while hitting 54 percent from the field. The strong season led the Warriors to the Class 5 Region B championship game and a berth in the state tournament. For her efforts, she was named a Virginia High School League First-Team 5A All-State honoree.

As a sophomore at New Hope Academy in Landover Hills, Maryland, Walker helped her team defeat the top-two ranked teams in the nation at GEICO High School Basketball Nationals where she was named the MVP. The guard averaged 23 points, three steals and five assists per game at New Hope and gained USA Today All-Maryland First-Team honors in the process. As a freshman at Highland Springs High School, Walker averaged 19.3 points, 6 assists, 5 steals and 4 rebounds per game, earning all-metro and all-state honors. Other accomplishments for Walker include being named to the Nike Tournament of Champions All-Tournament Team in 2018 and surpassing the 1,000-point mark as a sophomore.

Walker, who chose Kentucky over Michigan, Arizona, NC State and Mississippi State, is part of the National Honor Society at her high school. Her mother Annmarie Gilbert is the head women’s basketball coach at Detroit Mercy while her father Jon Walker was a standout player at Virginia Union.

For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on TwitterInstagram and Facebook.

‑ GO CATS –
For more information contact:
Evan Crane