RON MALY HAS BEEN WATCHING THE PARADE GO BY FOR A LONG TIME. THIS IS ONE OF HIS WEBSITES.

Friday, April 5, 2013

Former Texas A&M and Minnesota assistant coach Bill Walker has joined the Drake basketball program as an assistant coach, head coach Ray Giacoletti said Friday. The veteran coach brings more than 25 years of experience to the Drake staff, has coached more than 50 future professionals and five of his former student-athletes – DeAndre Jordan, Kris Humphries, Joel Przybilla, Khris Middleton and Donald Sloan – have been on active NBA rosters this season. “Coach Giacoletti and I have known each other for a long time and there is no one that I respect more in the business,” Walker said. “Coming to Drake is a perfect match for me and my family. I know that there are great things ahead for the program with Coach Giacoletti’s leadership and the commitment and passion Drake has for basketball.” Walker returns to the coaching ranks after most recently serving as an assistant on Mark Turgeon’s staff at Texas A&M from 2008-11 following a season (2007-08) in an administrative role. He spent the last two seasons serving as a scout for the NBA’s New Orleans Hornets. “I’ve known Bill since the early 1990s and he is someone I have the utmost trust in and respect for,” Giacoletti said. “Bill was the top assistant at Minnesota for seven years. He knows this area very well and will be invaluable in our recruiting efforts. He’s a veteran basketball coach that has drawn a tremendous wealth of experience from great coaches in his career.” During his four years at Texas A&M he oversaw the development of three future NBA players in DeAndre Jordan, Khris Middleton and Donald Sloan as the Aggies went 97-40 and made four straight NCAA appearances. As an assistant at Minnesota from 1998-07, Walker was responsible for recruiting Big Ten Freshman of the Year Kris Humphries, who was a first-round lottery pick by the Utah Jazz in 2005. He also recruited 2005 first-team all-Big Ten performer Vincent Grier and the 2001 recruiting class that included 2002 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Rick Rickert. That class was ranked among the top 10 in the nation by many publications. Walker came to the Golden Gophers after three seasons as the top assistant coach at Central Missouri State from 1996-99, where his teams posted a 51-33 record, including a 21-6 mark in 1996-97. Walker was responsible for recruiting Antonio Rivers, a Division II All-American who had a long professional career. Prior to his stint at Central Missouri State, Walker was an assistant at Missouri-St. Louis for eight years from 1989-96. The 1991-92 squad had the best record in school history with a 22-6 mark. He recruiting efforts led to five straight seasons with at least one student-athlete earning all-freshman team honors from the conference, including two who were named freshman of the year. Walker began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant under legendary coach Gene Bartow at Alabama-Birmingham in 1987-89 and helped the Blazers to a third-place finish in the 1989 NIT. A native of Warrensburg, Mo., Walker was a standout player at Warrensburg High School. In his three years with the Tigers, he helped them to a 73-6 record, earning first-team all-state honors as a senior. He played one season at State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Mo., then transferred to Missouri-Rolla, where he played for three seasons under head coach Billy Key. He earned honorable mention all-conference honors as a junior and senior. Walker earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Missouri-Rolla and a master’s degree in education from UAB. He hails from a family with a rich pedigree in college athletics as his father, Floyd, was the athletic director at Central Missouri and is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Director of Athletics Hall of Fame. His sister, Barbara, is the associate athletic director and senior woman administrator at Wake Forest. Walker and his wife, Karen, have a son, Vincent and a daughter, Claire. [This story was written for Ron Maly by Ty Patton, Drake's assistant athletic director for communications].