Jamall Walker
{{Short description|American basketball player and coach}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name = Jamall Walker
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| current_title = Assistant coach
| current_team = Ohio State
| current_conference = Big Ten
| current_record =
| contract =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1977|8|7}}
| birth_place = Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| alma_mater =
| player_years1 = 1996–1999
| player_team1 = Saint Louis
| player_positions = Point guard
| coach_years1 = 2000
| coach_team1 = Alton HS (assistant)
| coach_years2 = 2001–2002
| coach_team2 = F. L. Schlagle HS (assistant)
| coach_years3 = 2002–2004
| coach_team3 = Redlands CC (assistant)
| coach_years4 = 2004–2006
| coach_team4 = Ball State (assistant)
| coach_years5 = 2006–2007
| coach_team5 = Saint Louis (assistant)
| coach_years6 = 2007–2008
| coach_team6 = Murray State (assistant)
| coach_years7 = 2008–2009
| coach_team7 = Ohio (assistant)
| admin_years1 = 2009–2010
| admin_team1 = Arizona (DBO)
| coach_years8 = 2010–2012
| coach_team8 = Ohio (assistant)
| coach_years9 = 2012–2019
| coach_team9 = Illinois (assistant)
| coach_years10 = 2017
| coach_team10 = Illinois (Interim HC)
|coach_years11 = 2019–2020
|coach_team11= Illinois (Assistant to the HC)
| coach_years12 = 2020–2024
| coach_team12 = Grand Canyon (assistant)
| coach_years13 = 2024–present
| coach_team13 = Ohio State (assistant)
| overall_record = 2–1
| tournament_record = 2–1 (NIT)
| championships =
As Assistant Coach:
- WAC tournament winner (2021)
| awards =
As a player
- Conference USA All-Freshman team (1996)
| coaching_records =
}}
Jamall Walker (born August 7, 1977){{cite web | url=http://fightingillini.com/news/2012/4/9/Groce_Names_Ford_Walker_to_Fighting_Illini_Staff.aspx | title=Groce Names Ford, Walker to Fighting Illini Staff | date=April 9, 2012 | accessdate=April 15, 2018 | publisher=Illinois DIA}} is an American basketball coach who is an assistant coach at Ohio State University.
Early life
A native of Wichita, Kansas, Walker graduated from Wichita South High School. As a high school senior in 1995, Walker was named Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year.{{cite news |first=Mike |last=Eisenbath |title=Meet the Billikens |url=https://www.questia.com/newspaper/1P2-32972949/meet-the-billikens |publisher=St Louis Post-Dispatch |date=November 23, 1995 |accessdate=April 28, 2017}}
College career
After graduating from high school Walker played for head coach Charlie Spoonhour at Saint Louis and started 73 games for the Billikens.{{cite web | url=http://tucson.com/sports/basketball/college/wildcats/great-basketball-mind-waits-his-turn/article_6bf9af49-e64f-5691-ad1a-fbd9f82a44dc.html | title=Great basketball mind waits his turn | work=Arizona Daily Star | date=February 16, 2010 | accessdate=March 20, 2018}} Alongside future NBA lottery pick Larry Hughes, Walker helped the Billikens reach the second round of the 1998 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament before losing to eventual national champions Kentucky Wildcats. Instead of attempting a professional basketball career overseas, Walker decided to go into coaching after his collegiate career.{{cite web | url=http://www.news-gazette.com/sports/illini-sports/mens-basketball/2016-07-30/tate-metro-east-blues-coming-end.html | title=Metro East blues coming to end? | publisher=News Gazette | author=Tate, Loren | date=July 30, 2016 | accessdate=March 27, 2018}}
Coaching career
Walker's coaching career began as a varsity assistant at Alton High School in the Metro East area of Illinois during the 2000 season before serving in the same position at F. L. Schlagle High School in Kansas City, Kansas from 2001 to 2002. From 2003 to 2004 Walker spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Redlands Community College in El Reno, Oklahoma. During his two seasons, Redlands went 67–5 and was the 2004 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I national runner-up.{{cite web | url=http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/stories/051206aaf.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060906212520/http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/stories/051206aaf.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=September 6, 2006 | title=Former Billiken Jamall Walker Named Assistant Coach | work=CBS Sports | date=May 12, 2006 | accessdate=April 15, 2018}} Walker later moved to work as an assistant coach at Ball State under Tim Buckley for two seasons. Over the next four seasons from 2007 to 2010 Walker spent a single season with the following programs: Saint Louis under Brad Soderberg, Murray State under Billy Kennedy, Ohio under John Groce, and with Arizona as the director of basketball operations under Sean Miller.{{cite web | url=https://www.athensnews.com/news/local/new-ohio-basketball-coach-starts-to-put-his-staff-together/article_5025e139-d287-5476-83c1-1fc05cba67e6.html | title=New Ohio basketball coach starts to put his staff together | publisher=Athens News | date=July 14, 2008 | accessdate=April 15, 2018}} After a season with Arizona, Walker returned to Ohio for two more seasons with John Groce.
In 2012, Walker became an assistant at Illinois following Groce, who was hired as Illinois' head coach. Walker was named interim head coach after Groce was fired March 11, 2017, and Walker lead the Illini to a 2–1 record in the 2017 National Invitation Tournament.{{cite web | url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-jamall-walker-illinois-coaching-staff-spt-0324-20170323-story.html | title=Illinois retains Jamall Walker as assistant coach, report says | publisher=Chicago Tribune | date=March 23, 2017 | accessdate=April 15, 2018 | author=Ryan, Shannon}} After Illinois hired head coach Brad Underwood, Walker was retained as an assistant coach. Walker was demoted to Assistant to the Head Coach for the 2019–20 season, his final season with the Illini.{{cite web|url=https://fightingillini.com/documents/2019/10/2/2019_20_ILLINI_MBB_Record_Book.pdf |title=2019 20 ILLINI MBB Record Book }}
Walker left the Illini following the season to join the coaching staff at Grand Canyon.{{cite web|url=https://www.si.com/college/illinois/basketball/illinois-basketball-jamall-walker-leaves-illini-for-grand-canyon-april-1-2020 |title=Jamall Walker Leaves Role at Illinois for Assistant Job at Grand Canyon |date=April 2020 }}
Walker was named an assistant coach at Ohio State University on April 10, 2024.{{cite web | url=https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/news/2024/4/10/mens-basketball-jamall-walker-added-to-mens-basketball-staff | title=Jamall Walker Added to Men's Basketball Staff | date=April 10, 2024 | accessdate=April 12, 2024 | publisher=Ohio State Buckeyes}}
Head coaching record
{{CBB Yearly Record Start | type = | conference = | postseason = | poll = }}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Illinois Fighting Illini
| conference = Big Ten Conference
| startyear = 2017
| endyear = single
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| season = 2016–17
| name = Illinois
| overall = 2–1†
| conference =
| confstanding =
| championship =
| postseason = NIT Quarterfinals
| ranking =
| ranking2 =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Illinois
| overall = 2–1 ({{winpct|2|1}})
| confrecord =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record End
| overall = 2–1 ({{winpct|2|1}})
| confrecord =
}}
†Walker was interim head coach for Illinois during 2017 NIT
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://fightingillini.com/coaches.aspx?rc=951&path=mbball Illinois Profile]
- [http://arizonawildcats.com/sports/2013/4/18/208209420.aspx Arizona Profile]
- [https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/jamall-walker-1.html Player Statistics]
- [https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/coaches/jamall-walker-1.html Coaching Statistics]
{{Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball coach navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Jamall}}
Category:American men's basketball coaches
Category:American men's basketball players
Category:Arizona Wildcats men's basketball coaches
Category:Ball State Cardinals men's basketball coaches
Category:Basketball coaches from Kansas
Category:Basketball players from Wichita, Kansas
Category:High school basketball coaches in the United States
Category:Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball coaches
Category:Junior college men's basketball coaches in the United States
Category:Murray State Racers men's basketball coaches
Category:Ohio Bobcats men's basketball coaches