When coaches evaluate size, they look for height or length or wingspan. However, oftentimes the more quality is the size of a player’s heart or his determination. Florida’s Erving Walker lacks vertical size, but he does not lack determination, drive or competitiveness.
After a heavy recruitment, Walker committed to play at UF for Billy Donovan.
“I was concerned as a coach recruiting a guy that small. I really was,” Donovan said. “The first time I met him, I hadn’t watched him play. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh. My 7-year-old daughter could post him up. What am I doing here?'”
But Oliva, Donovan’s childhood CYL coach, insisted there was more to Walker than most were willing to see.
“Bobby kept telling me, ‘There’s something about him,'” Donovan said. “He’s got a great belief in himself. He’s not afraid to take big shots. Some guys have surface confidence; they act like they’re confident. Erving has a really deep internal confidence.”
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