This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A few weeks ago, James Walker was out of Stew Morrill's rotation.
On Friday night, the freshman point guard was very much a part of Utah State's win over San Jose State.
Walker scored four points in the first half, but he was instrumental in pushing the pace, and made a few plays at the basket that really shows how much potential he has.
For a freshman in his first postseason game, Walker played exceptionally well. He had two rebounds and an assist, he got the Aggies into their offense, he broke the Spartans defense down off the dribble and he made plays.
It's something that the Utah State offense sorely needed out of its back-up point guard spot. It's been a juggling act between Walker and E.J. Ferris all season, but Walker showed up on a big stage, and that was huge for the Aggies with Brockeith Pane struggling in the first half.
For one night, Walker solidified his spot in the rotation.
Tony Jones