Blogger So Dear Interviews: Wake Forest C Ty Walker

by Martin Rickman on Jul 7, 2009 7:00 AM EDT Comment 10 comments

Coming off a quiet freshman season, Ty Walker has put in a lot of time and effort in practice and the weight room and is looking to have a breakout sophomore season.

The highly touted center from Wilmington was the 2nd best center by Rivals and 4th best center by Scout in his class and was an All-State selection in 2008, averaging 12 points, seven rebounds and an astounding eight blocks per game.

Walker is getting the chance to show off his hard work at the Triad ProAm Summer League this week, as he has teamed up with L.D. Williams and will take on teams that include not only players from Wake, but from UNCG, Elon, High Point and Winston-Salem State. Chris Paul is even playing in some games.

Continuing in our interview series, I had the chance to ask Ty Walker a few questions. Answers after the jump.

How many tattoos do you have? Which ones have particular meaning to you?

10 tattoos.. I love my family's names and my RIP Coach Prosser tattoo.

What is your playing weight right now? How'd you get there?

235. Weights and eating a lot.

What is your wingspan?

9'7 standing. 7'7 out to my sides.

What have you been doing in the off-season to get yourself ready for this year?

Weights, eating, conditioning and so on.

What are your expectations for this season?

I want to avg 15 pts and 10 rebs. This year.

Are you more comfortable with your back to the basket or would you rather face up?

I prefer both.

What motivates you?

My mom motivates me every day she lives her life.

How does matching up against DWeave, Chas and Tony every day help your game?

It motivates me to work harder. I love going up against people who are bigger than me or the same size as me.

What do you love most about basketball?

I love the feeling I get when I just touch a basketball.

Who do you model your game after?

I would like to model my game after Amare Stoudemire but people say I play like Tim Duncan but I jump way higher.

What are you looking to accomplish in summer league?

I just want to show everyone how much I have improved. I plan on doing so.

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Comments

Walker

The Deacons will need this guy to step up this year.

by olddeac on Jul 7, 2009 8:50 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Good luck to Ty.

I hope he accomplishes the 15pts and 10 rebounds, and then some.

I’m not sure why Gaudio didn’t red shirt him last year, as he only played about 1.5 minutes a game, if that.

But I’m sure Gaudio knows what he’s doing…………well not so sure…….not sure at all.

by W-SDeacon on Jul 7, 2009 8:53 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Ty has all the potential in the world and I am extremely excited to see what he is able to do on the court this year.

by RPhilpott on Jul 7, 2009 10:20 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

W-S

Walker was given the option to redshirt, but he did not want to. He was informed that he may not see the floor that much. Don’t put that one on Dino

by WakeJake on Jul 7, 2009 11:42 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Interviews

You guys are doing great. Keep it up….

by rjkarl on Jul 7, 2009 2:05 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

WakeJake

So you don’t think it’s the head coach’s responsibility to advise the player correctly? That’s putting the burden of making a sound decision on a freshman who is eager to be on the court.

We were unbelievably deep last year and his Ty’s body was underdeveloped. Gaudio should have said :

“Ty, you’re going to redshirt, you aren’t going to play anyways, so why would you want to lose a year of eligibility?”.

Anyways, I wish him luck in the upcoming season. It’d be nice to see him and Aminu have a huge year.

by W-SDeacon on Jul 7, 2009 2:24 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

^ I don’t think Ty is going to be here four years anyway, so losing a year by not playing is not going to matter. I’m pretty sure that was his thinking as well. You don’t redshirt 5-star recruits, especially at Wake Forest. It would’ve hurt his ego big time, even more than not playing all that much.

The NBA looooves fast, athletic guys that are 7’1" with 7’7" wingspans. They just don’t come around that often (McGee from Nevada was the last one I remember). The potential is mind-boggling and we all know the NBA loves to draft on that aspect alone.

by WakeJake on Jul 7, 2009 4:23 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

This kid’s ego could stand a little hurting…

by tbrwfu on Jul 8, 2009 12:01 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

While Ty could have been redshirted last year, I don’t really know what the point would be. It seems unlikely he will be here 4 years, much less 5.

He had some decent plays last night at the Pro-Am. Didn’t make the splash that Ari Stewart did (or at least I think that was Ari, names on the jerseys would be nice…), but he proved to be a solid player nonetheless.

by tbrwfu on Jul 7, 2009 11:28 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

WakeJake

Jake, you make a good point. Ty most likely wont be here 4 years. Not sure what i was thinking. It just seemed to be such a waste having him sit on the bench last year. Apparently Weaver was a better player at the time? raises eyebrows

by W-SDeacon on Jul 8, 2009 2:06 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs