‘I want this so bad’: Wichita’s Zyanna Walker motivated by Louisville’s Final 4 run
The confetti was so close that Zyanna Walker could almost reach out and touch it.
That’s how close the Wichita Heights star basketball player was from the court on Monday night, smiling in her red Louisville women’s basketball hoodie as she watched her future teammates and coaches celebrate a trip to the Final Four clinched in her hometown.
The scene following the Cardinals’ 62-50 win over Michigan in an NCAA tournament regional championship game at Intrust Bank Arena was straight from Walker’s dreams: players decked out in championship gear, climbing a ladder, cutting off a piece of net, posing for pictures.
“My adrenaline is pumping right now,” said Walker, the 2022 Kansas Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year who is signed to play for Louisville next season. “I want all of this so bad. I already feel like I’m part of the team.”
Down on the floor, in the midst of the confetti, a Wichita native was living out that dream in LaMont Russell, a Wichita South graduate who has been the Louisville video coordinator for six seasons now.
“There’s no place like home,” said Russell, clutching the regional title. “This is unbelievable. After the final buzzer, I looked up in section 104 and saw my family and I got a little emotional. The lows, the highs, it all brought me to this moment and I’m just blessed.”
Since the March Madness brackets were released and Louisville was assigned the No. 1 seed in the Wichita regional, Walker hoped something like Monday night was possible.
She was captivated by the discipline of the team coached by Jeff Walz, the undeniable will of Wichita region MVP Hailey Van Lith, the all-around brilliance of Emily Engstler, the boldness of Kianna Smith, the toughness of Olivia Cochran and the relentlessness of Chelsie Hall.
“It really was amazing to see them in person and how well they play together as a team and how strong they are as a team,” Walker said. “They’re so good and it’s because they put in a lot of work. That’s what I’m going to have to do: keep working.”
Walker is no stranger to hard work after rehabilitating for nearly two years straight to recover from two major injuries to the same knee. The diligence and hard work led to an impressive return to the court, where she averaged 25.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 5.1 steals and led Wichita Heights to an 18-4 record while claiming the Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year award.
Despite missing a crucial period of evaluation on the summer circuit, Walker is still considered a top-40 national recruit in the 2022 class.
“She works so hard, people don’t understand just how hard she works,” said Maurice Walker, her father. “She’s very deserving of all of her accolades. I’m just a proud parent on the sidelines. She’s the one who goes out there and puts in the work and does what she needs to do to get to where she has to be.”
That level of commitment is exactly what Walz looks for in his recruits, which are typically All-Americans and Gatorade Player of the Year types. In fact, he’s secured the last two top players in Kansas — 2021 winner Payton Verhulst, from Bishop Miege, is a freshman on Louisville this season.
Verhulst was also a highly-touted freshman, but only played 11.2 minutes per game in her first season with the Cardinals. Playing time, no matter how many stars or accomplishments you bring to Louisville, is earned under Walz.
“I don’t guarantee anybody a starting spot, that’s not how it works, but they want to play with other good players,” Walz told The Eagle. “Z wants to come and she wants to get better and wants to continue to improve her game, so we’re really excited about her.”
What has set Walker apart from her peers in Wichita has been her court awareness and overall high basketball IQ. The game comes easy to her here, sometimes too easily.
That’s why she puts in hours of work weekly with her trainer, refining her shot at the North YMCA and working out to ensure her knee is ready to handle the load of Division I. Walker has embraced the grind and the challenge of it.
“I still wish she would shoot more and not be so unselfish,” her father said, laughing. “She can get the job done with how well she can handle the ball. She’s so much fun to watch, but I wish she would take more open shots.”
After playing just about every position in high school for coach Ken Palmer at Wichita Heights, Walker figures she will be primarily a combo guard at Louisville. Walz’s track record of developing stars at that position was a major reason why Walker picked the Cardinals to continue her career.
That future was what was being discussed when Walz made his way into the stands following Louisville’s Sweet 16 win on Saturday to talk with Walker.
“(Walz) develops his players and he has everyone so disciplined out there,” Walker said. “Everybody knows their role and knows where they’re supposed to be. I know he’s going to make me better and help get me to the next level.”
But thoughts of some day playing in the WNBA will have to wait, at least in the short term.
Walker won’t be able to get that picture of the trophy out of her head any time soon.
“I just love winning,” Walker said. “My goal is to always win. I can’t wait to do that with my teammates at Louisville and get the job done next year.”
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