The UTM men’s basketball program added front-court standout La-Quiem Walker out of Kaskaskia College today, head coach Anthony Stewart announced.
Walker is a 6-9, 235-pound junior forward from Jersey City, New Jersey. He is the eighth member of the Skyhawks’ 2020-21 signing class, joining junior wing Jaron Williams (College of Central Florida), junior wing Cameron Holden (Gulf Coast State College), junior guard Vinnie Viana (Albany Technical College), junior guard Jonte Coleman (Kankakee Community College), sophomore guard Eden Holt (Williston State College), freshman center Ksuan Casey (Madisonville-North Hopkins High School) and freshman guard Anthony Thomas (Olympus Preparatory Academy).
“La-Quiem is a very established post player who was one of the better players in his conference,” Stewart said. “He’s a very good rebounder both offensively and defensively who can really score around the bucket. He can also stretch the defense with his shooting ability and regularly gets to the free throw line.”
Last season, Walker was an All-Region 24 and All-Great Rivers Athletic Conference performer under head coach Brian Hancock at Kaskaskia College, located in Centralia, Ill. He averaged 15.0 points to go along with team-highs of 9.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks over 30 games, shooting 51 percent (176-of-345) from the field and 72.7 percent (88-of-121) from the charity stripe. He helped guide the Blue Devils to a 17-15 record, also averaging 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals per contest while increasing his scoring production to 16.4 points per game in league play.
Walker was responsible for 12 double-doubles last season and produced nine games of at least 20 points as a sophomore, including a career-high 31 points against Rend Lake on Feb. 22. He had a monster performance (29 points, career-high 20 rebounds) at Lake Land on Jan. 8 and also snared 20 rebounds at Lewis & Clark on Feb. 8.
He made double-digit free throws in a pair of outings, including a career-best 11-of-13 effort against Shawnee on Feb. 15. He swatted away multiple shots on nine different occasions, including a career-high six blocks against Vincennes on Nov. 20. He handed out a career-high five assists in the March 2 season finale against John A. Logan and posted 12 multi-steal performances (including a career-high four steals against both Southeastern Illinois on Jan. 18 and Rend Lake on Feb. 22).
As a junior, Walker was part of a Kaskaskia squad that went 24-11, won the District 16 championship and made an appearance in the NJCAA Tournament. That 2018-19 Blue Devil squad defeated eventual national champion Vincennes in the District 16 Tournament.
Walker averaged 5.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game in 2018-19, connecting on 51.9 percent (69-of-133) of his field goal tries. He scored a season-best 21 points twice (9-of-10 shooting at MacMurray College on Nov. 17, 8-for-13 shooting at Southwestern Illinois on Feb. 20). He performed well off the bench (11 points, team-high seven rebounds) in Kaskaskia’s NJCAA Tournament first round triumph over Sheridan on March 18.
Walker graduated from Lincoln High School, playing under head coach Bill Zasowski. Walker will be the first LHS product to play Division I basketball since 1979. Walker averaged 8.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and almost three blocks per game as a senior, helping the Lions to a 20-8 record and an appearance in the NJSIAA state tournament sectional semifinals.
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