Jeremiah Sosa is a student at ASU's Cronkite School of Journalism assigned to cover Phoenix Christian High School by AZPreps365.com

It was a hot Arizona day, and Ryan Walker was invited to accompany one of the Phoenix Christian coaches to a summer basketball practice. Walker was slightly nervous considering he had never played organized basketball before. Nevertheless, he joined in.

The 6-foot-1 rising junior hustled all practice long. Then, it came time for the sprinting drill. During his dash, Walker stumbled and fell face first onto the hot hardwood. Overcome with embarrassment, Walker decided basketball was not his strong suit. That would be the last time that he would ever think about playing organized basketball, or so he thought. 

The now 6-foot-5, 195-pound senior center is leading the Phoenix Christian Cougars in rebounds and blocks, and is second on the team in scoring. 

Walker was not raised in a basketball home. His family did not have a basketball hoop, nor did his local park. However, his mother was a big college football fan and his family enjoyed going out to baseball games. This, along with some of Walker's childhood friends, influenced him to pick up T-ball and flag football.  

“You throw a ball at him and he’s good, I mean that is what he wanted to do,” said his mother, Tracy.

As Walker developed, he transitioned into baseball and football. In middle school, he won a district championship with his eighth grade baseball team. Basketball had yet to come across his radar since the first baseman was succeeding so much on the diamond. 

Entering high school at Phoenix Christian, Walker decided to continue playing football and baseball. He did not enjoy his freshman experience of football, opting to stop playing the sport after the season ended and dedicating most of his time to the upcoming baseball season. 
It paid off, as Walker helped the Cougars win their second consecutive 2A baseball state championship during the 2018 season. 

Walker planned to continue his baseball career, until it came to a screeching halt a few weeks into the 2020 season. 

As COVID-19 changed so many lives, it changed Walker’s as well. The sport that he grew up loving was ripped from his arms as his junior year baseball season was cancelled. This gave Walker extra free time to play a sport that was easier to play with his friends: basketball.

Walker and his friends began traveling outside of their neighborhood to other parts of Phoenix to play pickup games. Walker was starting to enjoy the sport and soon found himself back at the place where he first decided basketball was not for him; a Phoenix Christian summer practice. 

There, newly hired head coach Ben Stryczek witnessed Walker out on the court and the potential skill set he could add to his team.

“I walk in the gym and this kid’s rocking the rim, he’s step-back shooting threes with good fundamental form, and I got very, very excited,” said Stryczek.

Although Stryczek saw great potential, Walker was the first to admit that he still wasn’t sure whether he wanted to join the team, unsure if he would have the fundamentals or technique that was required on that level. That quickly changed once Walker and Stryczek started to build a relationship during that summer.

“He’s probably the best coach I could have had, because even though I don’t have the fundamentals, he has been able to adapt to that and say, well all right let's work on these things, and he’s been dedicated to helping me improve. So, I saw that from a few practices and said, yeah, I’m gonna do this thing,” said Walker. 

After Phoenix Christian started the 2021 season with two tough losses to Arizona Lutheran and San Tan Charter, Walker recorded a stat line almost unheard of in high school basketball, let alone in a player's third game. Walker helped his team edge the Horizon Eagles in a double-overtime victory with 23 points, 26 rebounds, five blocks, and three steals. 

After the game, Stryczek pulled Walker aside and told him, “You could have some coaches, that after they hear you’re putting up numbers like this, would want to redshirt you, because the upside for [you] is limitless.” 

Walker has continued his phenomenal play, averaging close to 15 points and 15 rebounds per game. Even though his stat line speaks for itself, Walker still credits his growth to his coaches and his teammates. 

“Both the coaches and the players just responded well, and they both just reached out to me and tried to teach me, and show me the right ways, and I appreciated that,” he said. 

Looking ahead to college, Walker is keeping his mind open to all of the opportunities that could possibly arise for him to play his original love, baseball, and his newfound talent, basketball.