SLCC Bruin Katie Walker: A True Team Player
By Gavin McCallister
 
Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) sophomore point guard Katie Walker has done everything her coach has asked of her. Playing for 15^th-year Head Coach Betsy Specketer, Walker has lived up to her coach's lofty expectations. That discipline has helped Walker in all aspects of her life.

“Betsy's work ethic is nothing short of amazing,” Walker said. “She makes me want to push myself, and because she's given me so much, I really want to work hard for her. If I grow up to be like her, I'll be proud of it because she is a role model in every way.”

When Walker was born her mother was working full-time, so Katie spent a lot of time in the gym with her father, who coached junior-varsity basketball at Skyline High School for five years and has been involved in the sport for as long as Katie can remember. As a result, she picked up the game of basketball at a young age, starting in Salt Lake City's Junior Jazz basketball program at just six years old.

“They didn't have coed teams back then, so I just played on teams with the boys,” said Walker, who is averaging over 26 minutes per game in her second year at SLCC. “I've been doing this for so long now that it's become a lifestyle for me, and I love it.”

Walker played high school basketball at the school where her father coached, starring as a point guard for the Skyline Eagles. She was a four-year letter winner and earned playing time on the varsity team her freshman year. In her sophomore season the Eagles won the State championship—an experience she says she'll never forget.
After graduation, Walker was uncertain whether she wanted to continue to play basketball.  Fortunately for the Bruins, she chose SLCC.

“I wasn't going to play, simply because it's so time consuming. I was 18 years old, and I was just trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life,” Walker said. “Looking back, I'm so glad I decided to keep playing because this program is amazing. I love our coaching staff—Betsy, Brianna Finch, and Shordy Mulford are like family to me and I love them.”
As a point guard, Walker has great responsibility on the floor. Not only does she need to know what her job is in any given situation, she must also know the responsibilities of her teammates.

“Katie is a wonderful leader on and off the floor. She's our floor general and she's great at it. The kids listen and respond well to her, and she runs the show out there for us,” said Coach Specketer.

Walker has embraced Specketer's team-first philosophy whole-heartedly, and because of her work ethic and reliability she was voted team captain this season—a position she takes seriously.

“I take a lot of pride in being a captain here at SLCC because our captains last year were such amazing leaders. We have a great reputation, and we definitely have to defend it,” Walker said. “It means always being there for my teammates, on and off the court. I just try to be my best and hopefully I lead by that example.”

This year's Bruins have a vastly different style of play than previous women's basketball teams. Coach Specketer has long preferred the half-court game, but this season the roster is loaded with speed and scoring talent for which she has had to adjust the team's style of play. Walker prefers the more up-tempo style of play and feels that it suits her skill set well.

“We definitely spread out the scoring more this year because everyone on this team can put points on the board,” said Walker, who scored her season high of 12 points on December 28th in a 52-44 victory over Mesa Community College.
“I really like to push the ball—the half-court game is great, but once we get into the flow of pushing the ball we own the tempo of the game. It's an amazing adrenaline rush, and it's definitely my favorite part of the game.”

Though Walker will rarely if ever lead the team in scoring, she has a clearly defined role that is every bit as valuable. Setting up the offense, showing poise and leadership, and working hard on the defensive end are the qualities that have kept her in the starting lineup since she arrived at SLCC.

“Defense is definitely a huge focus for me. A lot of the time my role isn't to score,” said Walker. “I feel like it's my job to bring something more to this team. When I'm on the floor, it's for a good reason.”

Though the Bruins have a win-loss record of 9-4 and have beaten some excellent competition this season, the team remains unranked in the National Junior College Athletic Association polls. This fact does little to discourage Walker, who uses it to fuel her competitive fire.

“It motivates me that we're not ranked right now. Respect comes into play, and I want to prove a point. Just because our amazing sophomores from last season aren't here doesn't mean we're not great. We have a solid group of sophomores this season and our freshmen are really strong—they push us in practice, that's for sure.”

The youngest of four girls, Katie has sisters that are 13, 12 and 10 years older than she is. Walker loves spending time outdoors with her family.

“My sisters all take really good care of me. It's nice that I can go and talk to them because they've already experienced a lot of the things I go through. When it comes to hobbies, I get bored easily so I jump to a lot of different things.”
Currently, Katie is focused on taking care of business at SLCC. As for her future, she's a bit uncertain. Currently an education major, Walker is undecided about her career choice. 

“I'm actually thinking about changing my major. I want to go into something that has to do with medicine. I'm not sure what yet, but maybe something with surgery. I won't know what to do when I don't play basketball anymore, so I'll need something that's going to challenge and motivate me—something that I can work at as hard at as I do basketball.”

In the meantime, Walker's effort will be focused on the court and in the classroom at SLCC as she tries lead the College to the Scenic West Athletic Conference (SWAC) title. The Bruins opened SWAC play on the road at the College of Southern Idaho on Jan. 5, falling in a close game by a final score of 69-63. SLCC then took on North Idaho College [plug in result] in Couer d'Alene, ID on Jan. 7. The SLCC women will play their home opener against Colorado Northwestern on January 13^th in the Lifetime Activities Center at SLCC's Taylorsville Redwood Campus.

Fans can follow Katie Walker and the SLCC Bruins at www.slccbruins.com.