Jabari Walker played a pivotal role for the Buffs in the NCAA Tournament in March.
BOULDER, Colo. — Jabari Walker was a household name during the 2021 NCAA Tournament, after he exploded for 24 points, hitting all five of his three pointers, in CU’s rout of Georgetown in the round of 64.
“I was just talking to my guys the other day and I was like sometimes I don’t realize how big that is,” said Walker. “I dream about it. Being part of the top 64 teams, like that’s an honor and I’ll always remember that.”
With CU losing McKinley Wright’s scoring, Walker has the skillset to fill that void. head coach Tad Boyle says an all-around consistent game is the next step for Walker.
“Last year he was able to be that freshman that came in and gave us a spark off the bench and he was really good at that. We need Jabari to be an everyday guy and consistency is going to be his biggest challenge.”
Walker agreed it will be a big year for him: “I can’t have the average year a sophomore does. That adjustment period, I kind of have to adjust a little faster than most people.”
Walker has said sometimes he gets too down on himself. Senior forward Evan Battey makes sure Walker understands how important he’s going to be for the Buffs this season.
“I’m on him a lot because I can see how special he can be,” Battey said. “That’s why I’m on him, you know. Hopefully he gets that. There’s no ceiling for that kid, honestly.”
And even though this CU squad is young, Walker says the expectations remain the same as last year
“The bare minimum is March Madness, really. We’re a team that can get there and coach always preaches that to us. It’s just on what we do and how each guy progresses from now on.”
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