Jamaal Walker bet on himself.
Now a redshirt freshman at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Walker took the 2019-20 school year to grow as a person.
For the first nine months of his time with the UTC men's basketball team, as a rail-thin 6-foot-4, 172-pound guard, that simply meant physical gains. He had accomplished that by filling out to nearly 200 pounds on a couple of occasions while adding an extra inch or two in height.
And then the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in the United States in earnest this past March, shutting down the Mocs' season before they could play in a national tournament and sending UTC students home from campus. A month later a tornado hit the Walker family's home, destroying the property.
Suddenly, growth meant something entirely different to Walker. It was more mental - and spiritual.
"His faith is definitely stronger," Walker's father Alfred said. "He's actually able to experience and live through and see God's hands in his life. He's never been one to take things for granted, and he's very appreciative of every moment given to him. He's grown up to be a young man."
Walker spurned some potential opportunities to go to prep schools after a standout high school basketball career at East Hamilton, opting in March 2019 to walk on at UTC instead. There were some who didn't believe he would ever see the floor in an actual game.
Yet he seemed to have a really good view of it Wednesday, scoring eight points and making a pair of 3-pointers in the Mocs' 99-63 season-opening win over NCAA Division II program Lander University. He was the first sub off the bench and played a total of 26 minutes, with only starters A.J. Caldwell (37 minutes) and Malachi Smith (32) spending more time on the floor for the Mocs.
Half of Walker's game minutes were clocked in the first half, when he knocked down his first 3-pointer as a college player, becoming the first Chattanooga-area player to score in a game for the UTC men's basketball program since former Dade County standout Andrew Houts had two points against Appalachian State on March 1, 2014.
Staff photo by Robin Rudd / UTC's Jamaal Walker drives to the basket against Lander University's Zane Rankin during Wednesday's season opener for the Mocs at McKenzie Arena. Walker, a former East Hamilton standout who redshirted as a freshman last season, played 26 minutes and scored eight points in his collegiate debut.The Mocs were set to return to the court Saturday with a home game against Northern Kentucky, but Friday afternoon UTC learned the Norse would not be able to play as scheduled due to a positive COVID-19 test within their program. That game is considered a postponement for the time being, with UTC's next game now Monday night at Tennessee Tech, which will also be returning to the action for the first time since opening Wednesday with an 89-59 loss at Indiana.
In a year when so many have suffered greatly and lost, it would have been accepted if the thought of Walker getting on the court may have been far away from the family's mind from Easter Sunday to August. It started with the tornado that ripped through Chattanooga on April 12, striking the Walker home and damaging the structure beyond repair. The family was able to move into a new home, but once settled in, COVID-19 invaded the property, with Alfred, his wife Jamika and Jamaal contracting the disease. Alfred, who has asthma, was hospitalized at one point.
"This year has helped me mature as a person and see the world in another light than how people are seeing it right now," Jamaal said. "When COVID first happened, it was like, 'Man, why this?' But I'm just blessed to be here. I really take the time to see how important, how valuable life is. I feel like everything happens for a reason and everything builds character."
Wednesday was a culmination of the hard work he put in to get onto the court. Walker spent hours in a gym by himself, working on ball handling and shooting. Twice diagnosed with COVID-19, Walker continued to work on his game, finding an outdoor court when needed.
UTC coach Lamont Paris, who led the Mocs to 20-13 record and the Southern Conference tournament semifinals last season, his third in Chattanooga, has a knack for finding quality walk-on players. One need not look any further for evidence than Caldwell, the junior guard who was elevated to scholarship player in the offseason and had nine points, eight rebounds and five assists against Lander.
So seeing Walker getting opportunities to contribute for the Mocs really should come as no surprise, especially to those who saw the work he put in to give himself a chance.
"He's just so resilient," Jamika said. "His resilience has shown me how to push through stuff, and we've always said that about him because there's been things that happened to him, and while I wanted to react one way, Jamaal would just say, 'You've just got to pray about it and let God deal with it.
"It's just seeing him grow through all of this, because most people his age that have been through what he's been through would have given up."
No chance of that happening, though.
After all, Walker had bet on himself.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.
Staff photo / East Hamilton's Jamaal Walker scoops a loose ball away from Baylor's Noah Martin during the Best of Preps boys' basketball tournament championship game on Dec. 29, 2018, at Chattanooga State. Walker chose to walk on at UTC rather than spend a year at a prep school to improve his recruiting prospects, taking 2019-20 as a redshirt season with the Mocs and growing both as a player and a person.