‘A leader on the floor.’ Matthew Mitchell weighs in on first UK signee for 2021.
The University of Kentucky women’s basketball team received its first signed national letter of intent from the class of 2021 on Wednesday when point guard Jada Walker officially became a Wildcat.
Walker committed to Kentucky in May but her signing opened the door for Wildcats head coach Matthew Mitchell to talk about his newest recruit for the first time.
“I cannot imagine a player that’s a better fit for our program than Jada Walker,” Mitchell said in a news release. “We are over the moon excited that she has decided to be a Kentucky Wildcat. The first time I saw her play, I immediately fell in love with how hard she plays and how aggressive she is on both ends of the floor. She loves to play up-tempo, which will make her a valuable asset to our program.
“Jada emulates all of the qualities that we look for in a point guard. She is confident, has a high basketball IQ and is a leader on the floor. Our staff cannot wait to get her on campus next year and officially begin her career at Kentucky.”
Walker, a 5-foot-7 point guard, averaged 26.3 points and 5.9 steals per game last season as a junior at Henrico High School in Richmond, Virginia. She previously played for New Hope Academy in Landover Hills, Md.
She is rated a four-star prospect by ESPN.com, which has her as the 18th-best point guard and 87th-best overall player in the 2021 class.
At the time of her commitment, Walker chose Kentucky over Michigan, Arizona, Mississippi State and North Carolina State.
ESPN.com evaluated Walker at the Nike Nationals in 2019 as a “confident game manager that executes in half-court game; left-handed playmaker knocks down jumpers with range to the arc; elusive off the dribble, penetrates and finds a way to the rim, takes contact and finishes plays, gets to the stripe; brings consistency, toughness to the back court; clock manager, basketball IQ.”
Walker is part of the National Honor Society at her high school. Her mother, Annmarie Gilbert, is the head women’s basketball coach at Detroit Mercy while her father, Jon Walker, was a standout player at Virginia Union.