Nebrasketball Player Profile: Derrick Walker

Another Nebrasketball player profile, and another transfer for Fred Hoibergs squad. This one should be a nice catch for the Big Red.

We are talking about 6’8” junior from the University of Tennessee Derrick Walker. Derrick transferred from the Vols in 2019 and sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules. There were thoughts that he would see playing time for UT coming into the 2019-20 season as star Grant Williams declared for the NBA draft and senior Kyle Alexander graduated. Thus leaving a need for players of Walkers size.

Derrick was looked at as one of the players that could have seen more playing time. However, Derrick must have seen enough in Knoxville and decided to enter the transfer portal. Shocking many inside and outside of the program. Lucky for Nebraska, they were in a position to take a big man.

Coming out of high school Derrick was a three/four star recruit out of Kansas City, MO. He was recruited by the likes of Kansas, St. Johns, Wichita State, and Georgia before deciding to take his talents to Knoxville, TN. Nebraska originally was also in the mix so his knowledge of the team was set even before Hoiberg convinced him to come to Lincoln.

His freshman year at Tennessee saw him playing in all but one game the Vols had. He averaged 1.9 points, 2.2 rebounds per game, and roughly 8 minutes of playing time per game. All while shooting a very nice 60% from the floor for the season. This all in a fairly talent deep team.

Derrick’s sophomore season saw the Vols dominate teams throughout the season. Making it all the way to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. However his production went down from his freshman year. Derrick only averaged 0.8 points and 1.1 rebounds per game. His time on the court also went down to roughly 5.5 minutes per game. I guess that was enough for him to look into finding a home elsewhere to play.

Derrick should be able to handle himself in the Big Ten. He’s 6’8” and weighs in at 235. Not the largest but he has enough to handle himself in the paint. What he will bring is another player who can work around under the basket and give the Huskers another scoring threat down below. If anything, he should give Nebraska’s outside shooter a better chance to score while he keeps opponents busy down below.

Expect a lot of playing time from Mr. Walker. He will have two years to eligibility left for the Cornhuskers and hopes to make the best of it.