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By Zac Schrieber - - Samford's Director of Athletics Communication

Samford's Wyatt Walker leads the nation in double-doubles this season. The Bulldogs' 6-foot-9 sophomore center is averaging 14.3 points and 13.1 rebounds per outing and has earned double-double status in every game of the year.
 
On Sunday, Samford's determined, hard-nosed big guy from Jacksonville, Fla., will look to extend his double-double streak to eight as the Bulldogs welcome their in-state rivals from Jacksonville, Ala., to the Pete Hanna Center for a key 3 p.m., matchup.
 
"This is going to be a pivotal game for us," said Walker. "Obviously, we're at 4-3 right now, but that's not where we wanted to be. Looking back at it, I think we could have been 7-0 or even 6-1 at this point. We're definitely not satisfied, but we've dealt with some hard times and have come through them okay."
 
Jacksonville State (5-3), under the direction of first-year head coach Ray Harper, is also off to a solid start. The Gamecocks are in the midst of a four-game winning streak and have built some early confidence playing for their new skipper
 
Harper came to JSU after spending the previous five years at Western Kentucky where he posted an 89-64 mark that included three 20-win seasons and two trips to the NCAA Tournament.
 

"That's another reason why this is a big game," explained Walker. "There's a huge difference between being 5-3 or 4-4. Once you get on a roll, whether it be good or bad, it continues to go that way. We want to form a positive pattern with wins, and Jacksonville State is a team that we played last year, so we're familiar with them. They are very athletic and they're going to get a lot of shots up."
 
Last year, Samford competed on the road at Jacksonville State and posted a 77-71 road victory. Walker finished the contest with eight points and six rebounds, but was only able to play 17 minutes.
 
Injuries plagued the highly-touted Walker throughout his freshman campaign, but now he is relishing the fact that he is healthy and at full-go this season.
 
"Last year, I had a torn labrum in my shoulder and I'd just had surgery on the meniscus," Walker said. "At my best, which was probably in the middle of the SoCon (Southern Conference) season, I was playing at 75 percent. There wasn't a point all year when I felt totally healthy."
 
Despite being limited with his mobility and at times not even able to lift his arm over his shoulder, Walker closed out the 2015-16 season averaging 10.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest. He battled throughout the year and ultimately earned All-SoCon Freshman Team honors.
 
"There were times when I would go for a rebound and I could hear my shoulder pop," said Walker. "There were times when I would play a game and then the next morning my entire shoulder would be black and blue, but I just dealt with it."
 

During the offseason, Walker said he used the time to improve his body through a healthier diet, better stretching techniques and a more streamlined weightlifting program. If the proof is in the pudding, Walker's play this season is evidence that he's dealing with a nice batch of Jell-O's finest.
 
"Right now, I'd say I'm about as close to 100-percent healthy as you can get when you're in season," said Walker. "You're never 100 percent, but I'd say I'm at about 95 percent."
 
In Samford's home-opener against Bethune-Cookman, Walker registered his best performance of the season with 19 points and 15 rebounds in only 20 minutes of action.
 
On Tuesday, he tallied 15 points and 11 rebounds in Samford's huge 68-64 road win at Saint Louis.
 
"Beating Saint Louis was huge, but I think we definitely could have played better," said Walker. "That was a very tough place to play and that's a good team. Their guys hit some shots down the stretch, but we have so many offensive weapons now that it's going to be our defense and our tough play on that end of the court that's going to win games for us."
 
CUTTING HIS TEETH AT PROVIDENCE SCHOOL
Growing up, Walker attended the Providence School of Jacksonville, which is a Christian college preparatory school for students from preschool to 12th grade. It is located on a 65-acre campus near the beautiful sunny beaches of Jacksonville, Fla., but is mainly known for having one of the best high school basketball programs in the nation.
 
Head Coach Jim Martin, a fiery, intense former marine, is one of the best coaches in the nation, and proved to be a perfect motivational figure in Walker's life.
 
"That's also one of the reasons I came here to Samford," Walker said. "I like a coach who's going to get on to me if I need it and to criticize me when I need to work on something and get better. That's what I expect and that's what Coach P (Head Coach Scott Padgett) provides and how he helps me to improve as a player."
 

During his time at Providence School, 21 of his teammates advanced to play collegiate athletics at the Division I level. One of his buddies, Grayson Allen, is currently starring at Duke.
 
"I also played with Christian Terrell, who is at FGCU, and then my senior year I played with two guys, Jason Burnell and Ladarien Griffin, who is playing at St. Bonaventure, so we were really good," said Walker. "We finished 31-1 my senior year and ended up winning the state championship. It's almost unfair to make a list, because I've been fortunate to play with a lot of good players."
 
Walker's squads at Providence weren't lacking any talent, but he quickly pointed out that the three best players he's ever teamed with are currently on Samford's roster.
 
"CC (Christen Cunningham), A-Thomp (Alex Thompson) and Meech (Demetrius Denzel-Dyson) are as good as it gets," nodded Walker. "CC is definitely one of the best passers that I have ever played with and A-Thomp is as good of a No. 4-man shooter as I've ever played with for sure. And Meech, he can definitely really score the ball. I mean he just dropped 40 points the other day against Nicholls State."
 
Walker says he basically played every sport growing up, but started to hone his skills in basketball as a seventh grader. Always the tallest kid in class, Walker made the junior varsity squad in eighth grade and was starting for Providence School's varsity team as a 6-foot-5 freshman.
 
"The only guy taller than me on the team was Cameron Naylor," said Walker. "He went on to play at North Florida and then Texas State. He was 6-8."
 
Walker's early success at the collegiate level could easily be attributed to the level of talent that he played against in high school. In back-to-back games as a junior, he squared off against Ben Simmons and Jahlil Okafor.
 

"We played a lot of big-time teams," Walker detailed. "We would play in the City of Palms Tournament, and in that tournament alone, all four teams that we played had an NBA player on them. Daniel Hamilton played for St. John Bosco, Jahlil Okafor played for Whitney Young and Monteverde Academy had Ben Simmons, D'Angelo Russell and all those guys. We played a big-time schedule like that all the time."
 
FINDING A COLLEGIATE HOME
With his top-level prep basketball pedigree, Walker proved to a highly sought-after recruit and dozens of college coaches came calling.
 
"Choosing a college was an extremely difficult time for me," Walker said. "I actually ended up doing it twice. The first time, I committed to play at Princeton. Then, some things didn't work out the way I thought they would, so I re-opened my recruitment. The second time around was even harder, because I had so little time to decide. My mom and I actually toured five different schools in three days. I went all the way from Stanford, Princeton, LeHigh, Lafayette, William & Mary and UNC-Wilmington. It was so many schools, that it was almost nonstop."
 
Walker said that when Samford assistant coach Jake Headrick recruited him the first time, the Bulldogs weren't on his radar.
 
"Coach Jake (Headrick) recruited me the first time around, but I guess I just blew him off," laughed Walker. "But the second time around, I was very interested. I knew that I wanted to go to a school in the South and I also knew that I wanted to go to a prestigious university that had a high academic standing, so I narrowed it down to a list of 10 schools, and Samford was definitely on the list."
 
Walker said he enjoyed his visit to Samford so much that he canceled the rest of his trips.
 
"One weekend, I had planned to visit Samford and then I was going to go to South Carolina to meet with Head Coach Frank Martin," Walker said. "After seeing Samford, I loved everything about it. I loved the coaching staff, the campus and all the players that I met and everything. As soon as I got home, I told my parents that I had to commit and I did. The next day, I canceled the trip up to South Carolina."
 
In just his second year at Samford, Walker knows he's found the perfect fit for both his basketball career and his academic endeavors. Walker is a business major and looks to excel in Samford University's world-renown Brock School of Business.
 
"Going through the recruiting process was a hard time, but I just leaned on my parents (Kirsten and Lamar), God and my high school coaches," said Walker. "They really helped guide me and I made the best decision that I could have made. I don't regret one minute of it."
 
Walker and the Samford University basketball team will next be in action Sunday at 3 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs play at home in Birmingham, Ala., against the Jacksonville Gamecocks in a key in-state contest to be held at Samford's Pete Hanna Center.
 
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-- Samford's Zac Schrieber is in his 13^th season covering the Bulldogs' basketball team as a member of the university's Athletic Communications Department; his fourth as director.