A.J. Walker leads Air Force to their best start in years
BRIARGATE, Colo. — A.J. Walker is leading Air Force to their best start to a season the team has seen in several years.
Air Force has seven wins and just two losses to begin this season and they are being led by their senior captain in Walker. Walker is averaging over 19 points per game for the Falcons this year, his most ever at his time playing basketball at Air Force. Last season, Walker led the Falcons in scoring but averaged just over 15 points per game. He has increased that average by four points to start this season.
With a record putting the Air Force Falcons five games over the 500 mark, the team is well on their way to a winning season. It would be their first winning basketball season since 2013.
Walker has a lot to do with the team鈥檚 success so far this year and his 19 points per game speak for themselves. His average is good for the fifth highest in the Mountain West Conference. Last season, Walker was named to the third team in the Mountain West but this year it will be hard to keep him off the first team with the way he and the Falcons are playing.
Air Force head coach Joe Scott knows that he has a star in Walker but wants to keep the focus on the success of the team and not just one player.
鈥淲hen you put the burden of, say, running the team and having to bring the ball up the court all the time on a guy like A.J., I think it wears him out in other areas,鈥� Scott . 鈥淭hat鈥檚 where these guys have been able to help each other. It鈥檚 just lightening the load in these other areas so that the strengths come out more than, obviously, the weaknesses. That was the driving force behind it.鈥�
Scott talked about lightening the load for Walker, but he has been carrying most of it all year.
Walker gives a lot of credit to his teammates for their willingness to find him open on the court.
鈥淢y teammates were finding me and I was just trying to reward them by hitting the open shot,鈥� he . 鈥淚t was all fun.鈥�
Walker is a team player and one of the most liked players on the team. As a fourth-year player, he has been through the ups and downs of Air Force鈥檚 last few years. It has paid off for Walker to stick it out at Air Force for this big year they are having.
Walker was not on anyone’s NBA mock draft for 2022, but now they should consider adding him. He has improved his scoring every year since he has been at Air Force and now he is one of the top scorers in one of the best basketball conferences in the nation. Every NBA team could use a guard like Walker who scores, shoots from three and can be a good wing defender.
Walker will look to build on this early season success he and Air Force have had to get his name in the mix for the NBA next season.
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