Ohio 7-footer Walker commits to Central
Greg BurghardtA seven-foot-one-inch Ohio prep senior has verbally committed to play for Jay Smith’s men’s basketball team starting in 2004.
Drew Walker, of Port Clinton High School, accepted Smith’s scholarship offer late last week.
Walker will join the team next season and try to help fill the Chippewas need for quality centers.
As a junior, the 275-pound Walker shot 60 percent from the field and was named Honorable Mention All-Sandusky Bay Conference.
He helped lead the Redskins to their second consecutive conference title, and accumulated 74 blocked shots on the season. The team also won its Division II Sectional in the postseason.
Walker was ranked as the No. 14 best junior in Ohio last season by Hoop Scoop Online.
Central Michigan will be without last year’s starting center Chris Kaman this winter. Kaman left after his junior season, in which he was named Mid-American Conference Player of the Year.
Kaman was drafted No. 6 by the Los Angeles Clippers June 26 at the NBA Draft in New York.
Junior Steve Harris, and seniors Adam Dentlinger and Gerrit Brigitha will contend for playing time this season at center for the Chippewas. Harris is a transfer from Macomb Community College.
Dentlinger and Brigitha averaged 3.2 points and two rebounds combined per game last season. Dentlinger scored 14 points and had three rebounds in an 87-75 win at Northern Illinois to help CMU to a MAC Championship last year.
Brigitha was named to the MAC All-Freshmen Team in 2000. He averaged 5.8 points and 2.7 rebounds per game that season. He has been a member of two regular season MAC Championship teams.
