JoJo Walker, a junior at St. Joseph High School, didn’t know if he’d ever play basketball again after breaking his leg two years ago during his freshman season.
“I thought I was done,” Walker told the Sun. “I was thinking, ‘I’m not going be the same. Everything’s going to change now.’”
Walker took solace in watching NBA games on the hospital TV during recovery, and in the process became inspired to do whatever it took to bounce back and excel on the court again.
“I just realized that what I had to do was work harder than I used to work—work harder and get back in the game,” he said. “That was kind of my motivation to get back on the court.”
Fast forward two years, and Walker has more than achieved his dream of returning to basketball. Walker was named to All-PAC 8, All-CIF, and All-State teams following his sophomore season last winter.
That’s a feat he’s likely to repeat soon when the 2016 awards are handed out. As starting point guard this season, Walker has exploded for averages of 18.5 points and 5.3 assists per game on a Knights team that’s wrapping up a fairy-tale 28-3 season.
He recently led St. Joe’s to a CIF playoff rout over Chadwick High School where the team scored an unfathomable 105 points.
“We were just running [fast breaks] a lot,” Walker said. “That’s the key for us. If we run, we’re gonna win.”
St. Joe’s did just that again versus Woodcrest Christian on Feb. 26 to advance to the CIF Division 5AA championship game on March 4.
Walker’s raw talent, athleticism, and scoring ability is undeniable, but St. Joe’s head coach Tom Mott told the Sun that Walker’s biggest improvement has been in leadership and learning how to be a passing point guard—not just a scorer.
“He’s started to see the big picture more,” Mott said. “He’s realized what our best scoring options are and making sure others guys are getting the ball too. He can score 12 or 30 points, but for him it’s just about getting the win.”
When that statement was relayed to Walker, he agreed with his coach resoundingly.
“I used to be a little selfish,” Walker admitted. “If my teammate is open, it makes me a better player if I give it to him because he’s more open than I am.”
Walker, who’s been bouncing a basketball since he was 4 years old, claims to not be thinking about college basketball and beyond. He’s focused on bringing his best to every St. Joe’s game.
“I’m going slow and taking it step by step,” Walker said.
This article appears in Mar 3-10, 2016.
