Incoming 2013 Florida signee Chris Walker is “making progress” academically, according to his his high school basketball coach.
Holmes County coach Poe White said he can’t divulge specifics of Walker’s academics due to student privacy issues.
“I can just tell you it’s been a work in progress and he’s making progress,” White said.
Rumblings have surfaced that the 6-foot-10 Walker, a McDonald’s All-American from Bonifay, may be in jeopardy of qualifying to play at UF as a freshman. Asked about Walker’s status last week, Florida coach Billy Donovan said: “All those guys right now, you always worry about until they graduate, clearing house, all of those things. So you know until those guys finish their senior year of high school, we’re never going to ever know until they get actually qualified and cleared. I think in looking at our incoming freshmen, certainly they are in the right courses, taking the right classes and doing all of that stuff, but I think that stuff will end up playing itself out whenever he graduates.”
Walker and 6-foot-1 point guard Kasey Hill, another McDonald’s All-American, present the dynamic duo that compose UF’s 2013 class. It’s the first time since 2007 that Florida has landed two McDonald’s All Americans in the same freshman class (Nick Calathes, Jai Lucas).
Both Walker and Hill played over the weekend at the Jordan Brand Classic in Brooklyn. Hill finished with 12 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals, while Walker had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 1 blocked shot.
White said Walker has matured each season both on and off the court. Walker helped lead Holmes County to the Class A state title last June.
“He’s become more humble and respectful of his elders,” White said. “He can still be a little mischievous but he’s grown a lot in his four years here.”
Other notes:
– Kenny Boynton and Mike Rosario had mixed results last week at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, an NBA predraft camp for college seniors. Boynton averaged 9.7 ppg in three games while finishing fifth in the tournament in assists (6.0 apg). Rosario averaged 8.3 ppg and shot just 28.2 percent (11-39) from the field. Florida senior forward Erik Murphy declined an invitation to the tournament and is expected to hire an agent this week.
