Four-time Hudson Reporter Player of the Year decides to stay close to home
The decision was finally made and Tara Walker let out a deep sigh of relief. After months of speculation and rumor about her college choice, the Marist girls basketball star, four times named The Hudson Reporter Player of the Year, chose Fordham as her place of collegiate residence for the next four years.
"As soon as I got there, I felt like I was home," said Walker, a 5-9 forward who averaged 23 points and 12 rebounds per game last season for Marist, which captured the NJSIAA Parochial B state championship. "Everything just seemed to fit into place there. I got the feeling that I belonged there and that had a lot to do with the reason why I picked Fordham. Of course, I’m happy about it."
Walker also led Marist to two HCIAA championships in three years and captured three state sectional crowns during her tenure.
She ended her career with 2,376 points, the second-highest scoring total in Hudson County history, trailing only Harrison’s Kim McDonough’s 2,760. McDonough is currently at St. Peter’s College.
As the regular season wound down toward Marist’s first-ever trip to the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions, it became evident that there were four prominent schools in the running for Walker’s services – namely Seton Hall, Rutgers, Auburn and the University of Miami.
However, Marist head coach Bill DeFazio said that he didn’t hear from the three latter schools and that Fordham head coach Jim Lewis, the former head coach of the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, strongly got into the mix during the county and state playoffs.
"After speaking with him and dealing with him, I realized that he was serious about Tara," DeFazio said. "He said that she was exactly what he was looking for, an all-around player who could step in and play right away. I always felt that it would be better for Tara to be in a position where she would play right away. If she went to the other schools, that might not have happened."
Added DeFazio, "The man is trying to build a program and Tara is the kind of player who can bring his program to another level."
Lewis already has games scheduled against some of the nation’s top programs, including Connecticut and Tennessee in the coming years.
DeFazio said that Walker’s academic standing shouldn’t be in question, although she has yet to attain the necessary Scholastic Aptitude Test scores to become eligible to play NCAA Division 1 basketball as a freshman.
"She has the grades and already has 800 on the SAT," DeFazio said. "It shouldn’t be a problem. Fordham said that they want her regardless."
DeFazio said that he was disappointed that he had not heard from the coaching staffs of the other schools that were recruiting Walker.
"I can’t answer for them why they were no longer interested," DeFazio said. "I knew they were once interested, but then they never got back to me. I called Rutgers, Auburn and Miami to ask them what was going on, because I wanted to know if the interest was still there. I’m really disappointed that I didn’t hear anything from them."
Walker was asked if she was disappointed that the other schools decided to pursue other players instead of her.
"I was disappointed at first," Walker said. "I can’t lie about that. I’m just going to make the most of what’s in front of me. I wasn’t worried about getting playing time. It was just a matter of me making a big impact on the program. The school is not going to make me. It’s what I can make from the school."
Added Walker, "I wanted to go to a place where I was going to be happy and where I would get a good education. There are good people at Fordham and they’re going to treat me right there. All of my family is from New York and I have an aunt that lives in the Bronx. Having my family see me play is a huge plus. It took longer to decide than I thought, but I’m happy with my choice."