Walker Slated To Take MCC Men’s Basketball Reins

(MERIDIAN) - Jeff Walker, a coach with over 20 years experience on the high school, college and professional levels, has been selected as Meridian Community College’s new head men’s basketball coach, according to MCC President Dr. Scott Elliott.

Walker comes to MCC from Indiana Tech University, where he has served as athletic director since 2009. Prior to that, Walker had head coaching stints at Crichton College in Memphis, Grayson County College in Texas, and Hiwassee College in Tennessee, among other hardwood experiences. His collegiate head coaching record stands at 160-86.

“We are very excited about Jeff Walker becoming our head coach,” Elliott said.

“First and foremost, Jeff is a quality individual who will be an excellent role model for our players, emphasizing classroom achievement and good citizenship. Beyond that, he is a proven winner. If you examine his record, he has a history of molding successful programs, including consistently building nationally-ranked teams. He also has a track record of turning around struggling programs. We’ve had some good teams at MCC over the last 10 years, but we haven’t produced a national tournament team since the late ‘90s. We feel Jeff Walker is the coach who can get MCC back to Hutchinson, Kansas (annual site of the NJCAA tournament).”

Specifically, Walker has coached seven players who went on to the National Basketball Association (NBA); 12 NBA draft picks; 13 college All-Americans; and 19 high school All-Americans.

“I’m very much looking forward to the challenge of building MCC men’s basketball into a program that consistently competes on a national level,” Walker said. “I believe I know what it takes to accomplish that from a standpoint of team discipline, basketball fundamentals, game coaching, and recruiting. I expect our program to be successful in the classroom and on the court, well representing the college and community.”

As Indiana Tech’s athletic director, Walker has been responsible for managing a 24-sport, $5.2 million athletic department featuring 585 student-athletes.

“I enjoyed my tenure at Indiana Tech, but the truth is my first love is teaching the game of basketball,” Walker said. “Being athletic director of a 24-sport program was a full-time job and then some. However, I’ve found that I really miss working with the players. So, I can’t wait to get back on the court in Graham Gymnasium at MCC.”

Some of Walker’s career highlights include:
• His 2006-07 Crichton team amassed a 29-7 record, winning the TranSouth Conference championship.
• His 2008-09 Crichton team achieved a No. 2 national NAIA ranking, the highest in school history.
• He inherited a Grayson County team that went 1-29 in 1999-2000, and finished 17-13 and 20-10 the next two seasons, ranking 13th in the nation in 2001-02.
• He inherited a Hiawassee program that had gone 4-23 in 1997-98, but achieved 24-5 and 22-9 records under Walker, including winning the conference title in 1999-2000.
• He inherited a Raleigh-Egypt High School (Memphis) program that went 1-26 in 1988-89, and within two years amassed a school record 18-9 season.
• As an assistant coach at Middle Tennessee State University in 2002-04, Walker helped sign a class of players that was ranked 11th in NCAA Division 1 basketball recruiting.

Walker holds a B.S. degree from Belmont University in Nashville, where he played guard on the basketball team, and a master’s from Tennessee State University in health and physical education. Moreover, he has considerable work toward another master’s degree in theology from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA.

“Obviously, we lost Coach George Brooks (to Mississippi State University) at an inopportune time because the fall semester had already started,” Elliott assessed.

“So, to get a coach of Jeff Walker’s considerable experience and record in a short time frame is a real plus for MCC. We currently have about 24 players on the roster, including a nucleus of three returning sophomores. We are anxious for Coach Walker to get on board officially and meet with the team.”