Atlantic Sun Basketball: In-depth look at Eastern Kentucky PG Leland Walker

Why you should know Leland Walker

Eastern Kentucky has had their share of great players over the years especially guys like Nick Mayo, but no player has ever arrived with the expectations that Walker has. The sophomore was the first ever ESPN four-star recruit to commit to Eastern Kentucky. Walker was a star at Hargrave Military Academy before committing to the Colonels. It was an overall successful year for the preseason Atlantic Sun freshman of the year.

Walker was like most other freshmen in the country, in that he had his high points and he had his low points. Everyone in the Atlantic Sun could see the amount of potential that Walker had. The sophomore point guard played every game a season ago, and most of them were off the bench. Walker ended with numbers of 9 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal per game. Those numbers were not a breakout, but they were enough of a showing for me to say that the guard is ready to take off this year.

The point guard did have his growing pains on the offensive end of the floor as he shot under 40% from the floor for the season. That should go up as Walker gets more and more playing time, he still contributes a lot more than just points so coach Hamilton will live with the low shooting percentage. There were also a lot of positives. The sophomore point guard showed he can run the offense and still maintain the same speed and efficiency that coach Hamilton wants. He gets to the line a lot where he shot almost 80% from the line. The guard has a repeatable shot that is going to lead to a lot of threes and will help create easy offense for Eastern Kentucky.

The guard has already gained the confidence of the coaching staff as he had the third-highest usage rating of any player for Eastern Kentucky a season ago. His talent and ability make him primed for a breakout and likely a lot more if he takes the jump that many expect him to this year.