One of the perks of recruiting Jacob Walker in the transfer portal was that Oklahoma State didn't have to sell him on playing in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
He already had the experience.
Walker played for Sam Houston as a freshman last season and he and teammate Kashie Natt – who is also at OSU – paid the Cowboys a visit on Dec. 2. The Cowboys won the showdown, 93-83, but the Bearkats gave them a game. Walker scored 17 points in 18 minutes and drained a trio of 3-pointers as Sam Houston led, 44-37, at halftime.
"We thought we were going to beat you," Walker said with a smile as he talked to reporters about the upcoming season.
The Cowboys won the game. Then they won in the portal by landing Walker.
Jacob Walker Returns to GIA
His first season at Sam Houston was memorable because he said that he didn't set out to be a scorer. Early in the season he was seen more as depth and defense. But as he adjusted to the collegiate game his role expanded. By season's end he won three conference awards – Conference USA sixth man of the year, all-freshman and honorable mention. He was also named CUSA freshman of the week three times.
He finished the season with 11.5 points and 2.5 assists in 25.7 minutes as the Bearkats played in the NIT. He became a starter late in the season.
"That wasn't supposed to be my role," he said. "It just happened that way."
That got Walker to check out his options in the portal and that led him to Oklahoma State, which gets him closer to his native Memphis.
He said that head coach Steve Lutz was up front about what he was looking for in his transfers. Walker has the potential to play both point and off-guard, but with the personnel on the team it's more likely he'll play shooting guard, where his 35.8% 3-point shooting will come in handy. He's also going to take the ball to the basket and draw fouls to take advantage of his 74.8% clip at the free throw line.
He's already proven he can play with high-level talent after spending his senior season at national powerhouse Sunrise Christian Academy near Wichita, Kansas, competing in the EYBL Scholastic League. Walker sees himself as a good fit for the Cowboys, in spite of what happened last season.
So what did happen in that Sam Houston-Oklahoma State meeting?
"Parsa Fallah happened, Kanye Cleary happened and the game got out of hand," Walker said with a chuckle. "I still think about that. I still think about that game a lot. But it was a good experience. It was a great crowd. I always knew this was something I wanted to be a part of because of the fan base, the coaching staff and the great players."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/oklahomastate as What Oklahoma State's Jacob Walker Remembers About First Visit to Gallagher-Iba Arena.