Walker’s in hoops spotlight

Montrose Christian senior, Maryland signee shines in Charm City game

‘‘I really wasn’t allowed to play at Montrose, offensively, so to just go out there [and play carefree was] fun,” said Walker, who was named to the all-tournament team for his efforts.

His performance is made even more impressive considering the 6-10, 210-pound Walker was essentially Baltimore’s only big man for much of the game after fellow Maryland signee Braxton Dupree, a 6-9 center, sprained his ankle early in the second quarter and sat out the rest of the game.

‘‘If he has a brother and he’s looking for a home, he can find one at Mount St. Joe’s,” said Baltimore coach Pat Clatchey of Walker. ‘‘I thought he was a factor on both ends of the court – blocking shots, rebounding and scoring around the basket. I thought he was a very physical and active presence on both ends.”

All five of Walker’s field goals were two-handed jams on either pick and rolls or putbacks with his quick, explosive leaping ability. He snared a couple of errant shots out of the air and slammed them back through in one motion as his defenders were unable to keep him the lithe big man from getting to the basket in a rapid fashion

‘‘I think he’s a real good player,” said Maryland signee and Baltimore all-star Dino Gregory of his future college teammate. ‘‘He’s 6-10. He can run the floor. He plays hard inside. I look forward to playing with him next year.”

Room for improvement

Despite his success at Sunday’s all-star contest, Montrose Christian coach Stu Vetter believes Walker still has some work to do to fill the holes left by the graduation of Maryland frontcourters Ekene Ibekwe and Will Bowers.

‘‘Shane is an outstanding defensive player,” said Vetter of his part-time starter. ‘‘He did a good job concentrating on the other team’s best players [but] Shane has a lot to work on.

‘‘He’s working on his outside game and he has some other things to work on because like everyone else, going into college is a big adjustment for him. He hasn’t played a lot of basketball. A lot of the things Shane needs to learn comes with experience.”

That is something Walker lacks sorely as this is just his third season of competitive basketball. A huge soccer player⁄fan, Walker was discovered at a basketball camp in his native England some four years ago and was later put in touch with former Bishop Ireton coach Chuck Driesell, where Walker played as a sophomore and junior.

Driesell left to become an assistant at Maryland following the player’s junior year, prompting Walker to transfer to Montrose Christian for his senior campaign.

‘‘Stu Vetter is a good coach,” said Walker of his move to Rockville. ‘‘He’s coached hundreds of college players [and] Coach Driesell left, which is another big thing. [Plus] I have to get ready for Maryland next year.”

He joined a squad loaded with talented underclassmen, including Tristan Spurlock, Terrell Vinson and Isaiah Armwood, and led by the backcourt of Brewer and Bowie, who combined for roughly 30 points a game this season.

That meant Walker’s role, at least on the offensive end, diminished somewhat as he went from averaging 14.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game to roughly nine points and seven rebounds per contest this past season while splitting time in the front court with the aforementioned Spurlock, Vinson and Armwood. The Mustangs finished with a 21-3 record.

The lesser role didn’t affect his college plans, however, as Walker had already committed to Maryland last year and then signed with the Terrapins this past November. It also didn’t have an effect on postseason recognition, as Walker will conclude his high school career Thursday alongside another Maryland signee, Bowie, at the prestigious Capital Classic All-Star Game at Comcast Center in College Park.

‘‘It feels good to be [going] to Maryland,” Walker said. ‘‘I can’t wait to go there next year and play.”