Cornelius Walker, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound sophomore point and shooting guard from Wabash Valley (Jr.) College in Mt. Carmel, Ill., will transfer to Kentucky Wesleyan College to play basketball, according to Panther head coach Todd Lee.
He will have two years of eligibility remaining and joins WVC teammate Kreig Oxley as part of the 2011-12 recruiting class.
Walker, a native of St. Louis, Mo., averaged 6.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 28 contests as a sophomore in 2011.
The co-captain shot 42.9 percent from the field, 32.8 percent from three-point territory and 62.1 percent from the free throw line.
“We are very fortunate to have Cornelius joining our program," said Lee. ""He turned down offers from three Division I programs to come to Kentucky Wesleyan after seeing him play this season and at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Championships.
"Cornelius is a very good athlete and defender, that shoots the ball well. He's a leader and a person that will put the team above himself and accept whatever role it takes to help the team be successful.”
Walker helped the Warriors to a 28-6 record and a Region 24 title plus a trip to the first round of the NJCAA tournament for head coach Dan Sparks.
He finished his freshman season averaging 4.6 points and 4.4 rebounds in 28 games.
At Vashon High School, Walker earned third-team Missouri All-State and All-St. Louis Metro honors as a senior where he averaged 18.1 points and 5.4 assists.
He also received the team's Most Valuable Player Award, all-conference recognition, a Top 20 state player ranking, an invitational to the St. Louis versus National All-Star Games in 2008.
His junior year he averaged 12.3 points in 28 starts as an all-conference performer in helping the Wolverines to the 2007 state championship. As a sophomore, Walker average 6.4 points.
During his freshman season, Vashon was ranked No. 1 in the nation with a 31-1 record as he played in 32 contests and posted 3.3 points per game.
Walker joins Oxley plus Division I transfers Dominique Dawson, a 6-7 center from Minnesota; and Devonte Maymon, a 6-2 guard from Youngstown State; junior college transfer Aaron Gilstrap, 6-6 swingman from Trinity Valley CC; and Patrick Neel, a 6-4 swingman from Henderson County (Ky.) High School to the 2011-12 recruiting class.
