By: Joaquin Cortez
Denzil Walker did not need long to show what he could do once his long-awaited opportunity finally came.
After spending two seasons in the UAAP with the University of the Philippines and sitting out NCAA Season 101 due to residency, Walker has quickly emerged as a key contributor for Colegio de San Juan de Letran, leading the Knights in scoring through their first two games of their redemption campaign.
The 6-foot-4 wing from Minnesota opened his NCAA career with 21 points against the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA before putting together an even better performance in his second game, pouring in 25 points and three rebounds on an efficient 9-of-13 shooting in Letran’s 37-point rout of San Sebastian College-Recoletos.
Despite his immediate impact, Walker credited head coach Allen Ricardo and Letran’s system for putting him and his teammates in a position to succeed.
“I’m just doing my job. Whenever I see an opening, I’ll be aggressive,” Walker said. “It’s really Coach Allen doing a good job of setting up a system that the players can fit right into.
“It’s really up to Coach Allen for setting up such a good system for us,” he added.
Walker’s strong start comes after a limited stint with the Fighting Maroons, where he saw action in just five games during his final season and logged only 21 minutes despite being part of UP’s Season 87 championship squad.
He then spent last season serving his residency year as Letran’s title bid fell short against San Beda University in the finals, leaving the Knights hungry for redemption this time around.
Rather than let his residency year go to waste, Walker used the time to work on his game, particularly his shooting.
“My shooting, of course. I thought I improved my free throw shooting, but I guess not,” Walker, who went 3-of-7 from the line against San Sebastian, said. “So I’ll continue to improve my free-throw shooting.”
Still, the former Fighting Maroon is not letting his hot start get to him, choosing instead to focus on making the most of every opportunity that comes his way.
“To be honest, I wouldn’t say surprised, but I am grateful, of course,” he said.
With his residency year behind him, Walker now finds himself on a Letran squad determined to erase the sting of last season’s finals defeat to San Beda.
The Knights may have fallen short a year ago, but Walker believes the lessons from that defeat have only strengthened their resolve.
“We’re back. We’re hungry. We have one goal. Everything we do is towards this one goal. You know where we’ll be at the end of the season,” he said.
