Daily Pilot High School Boys’ Athlete of the Week: From Edison ball boy to Edison standout
Randall Walker first saw what it was like to play for Edison High boys’ basketball coach Rich Boyce as an 11-year-old. He never played, his older brother, Ryan did as a senior, as Randall sat at the end of the bench as a ball boy.
“He was still yelling, competitive, always wanting to win,” Walker said of Boyce. “I was always excited. I couldn’t wait to play here.”
Randall’s turn to suit up for Boyce came three years ago as a freshman. He seemed prepared, his brother telling him what to expect from Boyce.
“He told me everything, how he’s going to yell at you and be hard on you, but he cares for you and he wants you to be a better player, so don’t take it personal,” Randall said. “It used to [be hard]. My freshman and sophomore year, when I was on varsity, it kind of got to my head, but now I’ve gotten used to it and know that he just wants the best for me.”
Getting the most out of Randall Walker is why Boyce continues to push him to this day. Walker is in his senior season, and last week during the Corona del Mar Beach Bash, the 6-foot-2 guard showed the ability to take over a game at any time.
Walker can dribble, shoot, pass, drive, and finish with either hand. His all-around game helped the Chargers reach the tournament championship game last Saturday. Walker finished with 28 points in a 75-68 loss to Bellflower St. John Bosco, as Edison suffered its first setback of the early season.
During the four-game tournament, Walker averaged 23.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals. Those numbers are a telltale sign of how talented Walker is on the court.
“I’ve told him many times that 90% of the games we play, he’ll be the best player on the floor, and he’s got to understand that,” Boyce said. “He just [has] to go out there and play like that guy.
“When he plays hard, he’s the best player on the floor. If he goes half-speed or anything, he’s just another guy on the floor. We’re trying to get him to be on that next level when he’s always the guy.”
Walker plays with a calm demeanor. The reason why he does, Walker said his father, Kenny, tells him that he performs better when he’s not too excited or mad.
Walker does get mad. He said he was so upset with how the team lost to St. John Bosco that he didn’t attend the Edison football team’s CIF State Southern California Regional Division 1-A Bowl Game a couple of hours later at Huntington Beach High.
Walker does care about winning, and he expects another deep and successful season with the Chargers. With Walker, Nate Matthews and David Atencio back as starters, and Matt Serven and Spencer Serven transferring in from Fountain Valley and Josh Phillips transferring in from Newport Harbor, Walker said the goal for Edison is to make the CIF Southern Section finals for the third consecutive season.
Getting to the Division 1AA finale will be daunting for the Chargers, if the likes of Chatsworth Sierra Canyon, Torrance Bishop Montgomery, Chino Hills, Mater Dei and Santa Monica, programs ranked No. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6, respectively, in the state by CalHiSports.com, don’t get invited to the Open Division playoffs. Moving up to Division 1AA is something Boyce, whose team played in Division 2AA last season and Division 1A two seasons ago, knows will be a challenge for a public school like Edison.
“The way CIF explains it, if [it] ranked all 582 teams and we were the 17th best [program] the last two years, I told our kids, ‘That’s something to be proud of. You’re the 17th best team out of 582, so you deserve [to be in Division 1AA],’” Boyce said. “I think this is the most talented team I’ve ever had [during my 17 seasons at Edison].”
The Chargers traveled to Santa Monica on Thursday for a nonleague contest, marking their second against a Division 1AA program in six days. They have already hung with one Division 1AA school in St. John Bosco, ranked No. 18 in the state.
Through three quarters of the Beach Bash final, Edison trailed the Braves, 60-55, and Walker played a vital role to keeping it close. Walker made three shots in the final minute of the third quarter.
At the start of the fourth, Walker had two layups, the second evened things up at 61-61. St. John Bosco put the game away at the free-throw line, making seven of eight.
“We missed some free throws [in the fourth],” Walker said. “I really think we should have won that game. I’m not going to blame it on the refs, but it was very physical, a lot of technical [fouls], and [it got] a little [chippy].”
Walker and the Chargers will get to relax a bit, starting Saturday. They’re off to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational.
The tournament begins Monday, and the trip to Hawaii will be Walker’s second with the team. The first time he went with the Chargers was during his freshman season.
Walker has come a long way since that season. He used to come off the bench, and now Boyce believes Walker has what it takes to play in college.
Walker, who earned All-CIF Southern Section Division 2AA and All-Sunset League first-team honors as a junior, said he doesn’t have any offers, but he’s talking to a couple of schools.
“Randall’s got the ability to play on the next level,” said Boyce, adding that Walker is one of the best players he has coached. “It’s all up to him, how he wants to do it, how he wants to play. He just needs to show people the next 2½ months exactly what I know. Ninety percent of the time, he is the best player on the floor.”
Randall Walker
Born: Dec. 28, 1998
Hometown: Huntington Beach
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 180 pounds
Sport: Basketball
Year: Senior
Coach: Rich Boyce
Favorite food: Ribs
Favorite movie: “Coach Carter”
Favorite athletic moment: “Dunking on someone [for the first time] in my AAU game this summer.”
Week in review: Walker averaged 23.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals during the Corona del Mar Beach Bash, leading Edison to the tournament championship game.
