Norwin standout Walker to miss 1st month of basketball season

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, November 24, 2019 | 5:36 PM

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Norwin junior Jayden Walker is expected to miss the first month of basketball season as he recovers from surgery on his left labrum.

Also a standout baseball player with a promising future as a left-handed pitcher, Walker had the surgery in June and plans to return in early January.

“I have reached the point where I am five to six months out from the surgery,” he said. “It doesn’t hurt or anything, but this is the most critical time for it to heal.”

Walker, a 6-foot-4 forward, is anxious to patrol the paint and score high-percentage baskets for Norwin. He did that last season, often scoring in double figures and leading the Knights in rebounding.

He also can’t wait to resume baseball activities. He essentially was shut down from throwing last spring.

“I haven’t thrown a baseball in six or seven months,” Walker said. “I have been able to run and lift a little, but that’s about it. I don’t want to risk anything. It’s been a long process, but, hopefully, it pays off.”

Walker has a baseball scholarship offer from Mount St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg, Md. He said there is interest from Hartford (Conn.) and Gardner Webb (N.C.).

“We’re looking forward to getting Jayden back,” Norwin first-year basketball coach Buddy Valinsky said. “He’s a big part of what we want to do. Until then, it’s a next-man-up thing here.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Norwin