SOUTH CAROLINA – University of South Carolina center Sakima Walker announced to social media Tuesday that she would return to Columbia as a Gamecock for her final year.
Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Walker transferred to South Carolina after two years at Rutgers Univeristy. As a Scarlet Knight, Walker averaged 4.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, and recorded 14 blocks and 18 steals in 10.8 minutes across 32 games.
Walker said she struggled mentally at Rutgers, leading her also to struggle academically. To remedy this while continuing to play basketball, Walker transferred to Northwest Florida State, a junior college in Niceville, Florida.
At Northwest Florida, Walker started all 32 games where she averaged 16.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.2 assists. Walker left Northwest Florida as the 2022-23 NJCAA National Player of the Year and led the Raiders to the junior college national championship.
Walker transferred to South Carolina for the 2023-24 season which saw the Gamecocks go undefeated all the way up to the NCAA National Championship game against the Univeristy of Iowa.
At South Carolina, Walker averaged 3.0 points, 1.3 rebounds and recorded 12 blocks and 8 steals.
Walker announced her return in a minute-long video with the caption “one more”.
