Warren’s Braylon Walker seemingly left no room for doubt that he was bound for Division I college basketball.
Walker’s impressive four-year career as a starter for the Blue Devils included a program-record 106 wins and two sectional titles. Yet recruiting interest was tepid throughout the 6-foot-3 guard’s senior season, which ended in the Class 4A sectional semifinals even though he scored 33 points.
“Definitely at the beginning of the season, I was focused entirely on having the best season I could and trusting that everything with recruiting would come,” Walker said. “Toward the latter part of the season, it was definitely in my mind daily.
“After we lost that last game, it wasn’t the best two or three weeks for me because it was hitting my mental side hard.”
Fortunately for Walker, his recruiting warmed up recently, and on Sunday, in the immediate aftermath of an official visit, he announced his commitment to Milwaukee.
“It’s a very exciting time for me,” he said. “I went to camp there in August, and they always had their eye on me. Everything went well on the visit, and I felt like it was the place for me. I’m glad they were interested and I was able to land in that spot.”
Until April 7, when Milwaukee coach Bart Lundy extended the offer to Walker on the phone, there were no other concrete options for Walker to consider. That mystified him as well as the people associated with the Blue Devils’ program, not only because he produced at such a high level since cracking the starting lineup midway through his freshman season but also because he was such a big factor in winning.
“I realize how crazy recruiting is now with schools looking for players in different places, like taking a look at junior colleges,” Walker said. “It’s tough to be a senior if you’re not a top prospect. I’m just grateful for this opportunity.”
One would not have guessed that Walker had so much on his mind this past season. Playing alongside two-time Mr. Basketball of Illinois Jaxson Davis, Walker averaged 14.9 points, 5.9 assists and 3.4 steals for the North Suburban Conference champion Blue Devils (30-4, 14-0) and was named a 4A all-state special mention by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association.
Walker saved his best for last from a statistical standpoint, setting career highs for points in each of his final two high school games.
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Walker also scored his 1,000th career point in his last game, an achievement for which he received a date-stamped golden basketball at the team’s banquet on Sunday. He was late to that event as a result of his visit to Milwaukee, but no one blamed him.
“It was great to share that moment with my teammates, coaches, parents and people in the community,” he said.
Milwaukee had shown interest for months, sending assistant Ben Walker (no relation) to Warren’s open gym sessions in the fall and other representatives to games during the season. But without any Division I offers through March, Braylon Walker began to consider other routes, such as playing AAU ball this summer or going to a prep school.
“We were with him every day, and we knew how good of a player he was,” Warren coach Zack Ryan said. “He was a little bit of an understated player who probably didn’t get the attention he deserved. My message to him was to be patient and that the attention would come eventually.
“He’s always done all of the right things, and I’m glad we could all celebrate with him. I couldn’t be happier for him.”
Another person in that camp is Davis, who has played with Walker since elementary school.
“He understood that a lot of the attention was on me, but he was so focused on winning,” Davis said. “We have had so much success, and he’s someone very special in my heart. The way he handled all of this is a testament to his character and showed how unselfish he is as a human being. And I’m glad I’ll still be able to watch him play.”
As Walker moves into the next chapter of his basketball career, he’s glad that this one has been written.
“This definitely took a lot of weight off my shoulders,” he said. “I can just focus now on playing hoops and lifting and getting ready for this next phase.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.