Though not as big, Lincoln County (Panaca, Nev.) senior
Dantley Walker appears to be a combination of Pete Maravich and Jimmer Fredette all rolled into one dynamite basketball player.
Forget about his size (5-foot-11 and 155 pounds). He is one of the most dominant players in the country.
Lincoln County High's Dantley Walkerwith coach Mike Wood (left) and hisdad Greg Walker.
Photo courtesy of the Walker family
Consider these statistics:
* According to MaxPreps, he leads the country in total points (1,067), 3-point baskets (148) and free throw percentage (.900).
* He is No. 3 in made free throws (237).
* He is No. 6 in scoring average (35.6) and assists average (10.4).
* His recent 73-point game is believed to be the highest in the country for the 2010-11 season. He also has scored more than 60 several other times.
Lincoln County coach Mike Wood told MaxPreps, "I've been watching small-school-level basketball (in Nevada) for 30 years. This kid is unreal. I've seen the best players in Nevada and he can play with any of them. He faces gimmick defenses every night. This kid is just fun to watch. People come to our games that never (normally) come to games.
"He has perfect form. He probably shoots 1,000 shots every day on his own and probably has since seventh grade. He shoots 3-4-5 hours every day on his own."
Walker was named in honor of former Notre Dame and NBA standout Adrian Dantley. His father, Greg Walker, followed Dantley with the Utah jazz and attended his basketball camp as a high school player.
"I was an undersized post (at 6 feet). That's why I loved Adrian Dantley," Greg Walker explained. "I made up my mind that no matter how big my son was he was going to be a guard."
Greg Walker, an assistant coach at Lincoln County, began working with his son at age 3. Dantley, who idolizes Steve Nash, attaches no special significance to his unusual first name. He noted, "Everybody likes to write about it. I've watched a lot of tapes and he was a pretty amazing player."
Quick to admit he was not a natural shooter, Dantley points to the summer before he entered seventh grade as the turning point in his career.
"I went to the gym and spent the summer on (shooting) mechanics," he explained. "My dad always taught me to shoot with backspin and follow through. My confidence shot up."
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