John Curtis is the No. 1-seeded Division I select boys basketball team, and sophomore Jonnie Walker has been a key factor in the Patriots’ success.
Walker began playing varsity basketball in the eighth grade but suffered an MCL injury last year that cut his freshman season short. He returned fully healthy for this season and has taken on a lead role for a Curtis team that’s lost just twice in 29 games.
A first-team all-district selection in his first year starting, the 6-foot-4 Walker has thrived as a scorer and rebounder during his breakout sophomore campaign, averaging 11.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
“(Walker) is the heart and soul of this team when you’re looking behind the scenes,” Curtis coach Biko Paris said. “He’s one of the first ones there every day, one of the last ones to leave the gym. He had a lot to prove this year.
“When we sat down before the season, I knew he was serious about having a breakout year. I’m not surprised at how well he’s doing because I’ve seen the work that he’s put in. He’s going to give you 110% regardless of what he’s doing.”
Walker impacts the game in more ways than one. He shined in the fourth quarter during last Friday’s quarterfinal comeback win over Huntington, finishing with 16 points along with a team-high nine rebounds and three blocks.
“I’ve just been going out there and playing with confidence,” Walker said. “Even if I’m not hitting shots, I’m trying to get rebounds just to get myself going. We knew we had to come out and bring more energy (in the quarterfinals) and that the shots were going to fall.”
Walker comes from an athletic family. Both of his parents played sports growing up, along with his two older brothers, who played football at Rummel.
Jonnie is the youngest of four siblings and the first to attend Curtis. Division I schools have taken notice of his basketball skills, as he’s received offers from UL and George Mason.
“My whole family is always there for me,” Jonnie Walker said. “They always support me in everything I do. My mom was a swimmer, and my dad played basketball. Hopefully more (offers) will come in.”
Last year’s knee injury caused Walker to miss three months. Curtis senior Midnight Martin also returned from injury this year and is a strong defender alongside the top scorers in Walker and senior Autrail Manning.
“(Walker) attacked the rehab and is even bigger, faster and stronger now than he was before the injury,” Paris said. “I think when kids go through things like that, they don’t take games for granted because they know at any given time it can get taken away from them.”
Curtis (27-2) has a deep rotation, playing up to 10 players in a game. A return to the state semifinals awaits the Patriots on Wednesday against No. 12-seeded Catholic-Baton Rouge.
Curtis lost to St. Thomas More in the semifinals last year by just two points. The Patriots will look to avenge last season’s semifinal defeat at 2:45 p.m. Wednesday at Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles.
“When you come up short like that, it leaves a sour taste in your mouth, but it brings forth harder work and believing in the process,” Paris said. “I think these guys have worked their tails off (for a state championship), and they deserve it.”
The Curtis-Catholic winner will face No. 2-seeded Alexandria or No. 11-seeded Edna Karr in the state title game, which is scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday.
Paris, a former NCAA basketball standout at Boston College, is in his third season coaching at Curtis. The Patriots last won a boys basketball state title in 2012.