Why Utah won recruiting battle for Kansas high school girls basketball star Brooke Walker
Big 12 basketball is next in the plans for Andover star Brooke Walker, who gave her verbal commitment to Utah last Friday.
The 5-foot-8 guard is the highest-rated high school girls basketball player in Kansas and evaluated as a four-star prospect and No. 69 in the class of 2024, per ESPN’s HoopGurlz recruiting rankings.
After taking official visits to her final three schools, Walker picked the Utes over Colorado and Kansas. She can sign her letter of intent to Utah during the early signing period beginning Nov. 8.
“All three places, their coaching staffs were great and I loved the players there and all of that stuff,” Walker told The Eagle. “I could honestly see myself at all three, but the main thing that stood out about (Utah) and separated them was their offensive strategy.”
That makes sense considering Walker is one of the premier scorers in Kansas while playing for Andover during the high school season and for Kansas United in the summer circuit.
Walker averaged 17.5 points on 48% shooting this past season at Andover, while leading the Trojans to their first win at the state tournament since 1996 with a fourth-place finish in Class 5A.
Under coach Lynne Roberts, Utah averaged the fourth-most points in the country at 82.8 per game last season. That up-tempo style also led to resounding success, as the Utes finished with a 27-5 record, which tied for second-most wins in a season in program history, and registered the program’s first Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2006.
With Utah moving to the Big 12 starting with the 2024-25 season, Walker views it as the perfect time to be joining the program.
“I fit really well into their offensive system and obviously that’s a big key,” Walker said. “It’s an up-tempo style and they play very fast and very free. It’s like a four-out, one-in with a lot of ball screens. It’s not a lot of set plays, you just go out there and make reads and make passes. I think that’s when I’m at my best, when I get to play freely and just make reads.”
Walker was the most dangerous offensive weapon in the Wichita area last season. She was deadly running off screens for catch-and-shoot 3-pointers; she could also create her own offense off the bounce with her handles and shooting ability; and if defenses face-guarded her or double-teamed her on the ball, Walker knew how to use the defensive attention to her team’s advantage by creating openings for her teammates.
On top of a team-high scoring average, she also added 4.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 3.6 steals per game. Walker was a second team all-state selection, a first team all-Class 5A pick and an All-Metro player last season.
“She just does a little bit of everything for us offensively and defensively,” Andover coach Hannah Alexander said. “She passes the ball well and she can find ways to score depending on what defense she is up against. We try to get screens set for her to make it easier, but she has her change of speed and she can get open by herself. She’s a great floor leader and does a lot of things by example for us. She pushes the girls and elevates the game of everybody around her.”
Walker is also a successful girls tennis player at Andover, where she is currently 19-0 this season with partner Anna Jittawait and a strong contender for the Class 5A doubles championship.
It was important to her to make her college decision final before the start of postseason play, which begins in mid-October for tennis.
“I knew I wanted to do it before (basketball) season for sure because at the end, it did get pretty stressful,” Walker said. “It’s kind of all I could think about for a while. I knew I was ready to make my decision. I love the staff, I love the players and I actually liked Salt Lake a lot, too. I had never been there before. I loved it out there and it’s just a good fit, so I have a great feeling about it.”
This story was originally published September 26, 2023 at 7:00 AM.
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