Ezequias "E. J." Walker, a 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward from Earlinger (KY) Lloyd Memorial, is the second ranked player from the state of Kentucky in 2025 class. Walker recently shined with All-Ohio Red at the EYBL event in Kansas City, attracting attention from several top programs, including Minnesota as Gopher assistant coach Jason Kemp watched him.
Walker already has offers from Northern Kentucky, Duquesne, Ohio, Toledo and Youngstown State, but look for that list to get much longer. He has received interest from schools such as Xavier, Ohio State, Dayton, Michigan State, Western Kentucky, Minnesota and LSU recently.
Walker helped lead the Juggernauts to a 22-8 mark as a freshman, losing to Covington Catholic 71-52 in the playoffs.
Kemp is hoping that his relationship with the All-Ohio Red AAU program could help land this talented forward. Kemp helped Ohio University land six players from All-Ohio Red when he was an assistant for the Bobcats.
The Gopher Report recently caught up with Walker to learn more about his early recruitment.
The Gopher Report: You played very well today. How pleased are you with how well the team has been playing this spring and summer?
E.J. Walker: "There are sometimes we play together as a team and we play really good, but other times, we need to work on turnovers and passing the ball around, but other than that, I think that we play pretty good together."
The Gopher Report: Is that sometimes frustrating because you know that you have the ability to be one of the better teams, but you are a little inconsistent?
Walker: "Yes, I think that we are inconsistent. Maybe it’s warming up. We should probably warm up a little harder. Turnovers are probably our biggest weakness, but you can fix that."
The Gopher Report: You just finished your freshman year. How pleased were you with that?
Walker: "It went pretty good. We lost in the semifinals of the regionals to a team that went to the Final Four in the state. I averaged like ten points a game and eight rebounds and it was just a good season for me."
The Gopher Report: You are technically a sophomore now. Does that feel kind of weird?
Walker: "Yeah, it actually does. Growing crazy."
The Gopher Report: I know that college coaches can’t really contact you directly, but what schools are you hearing from now?
Walker: "I went to a couple of team camps like Xavier and Ohio State and I got interest from them, Western Kentucky and a couple of other schools like Dayton."
The Gopher Report: What is it going to mean to have the opportunity to play Division I basketball?
Walker: "It’s going to mean a lot to me. It has always been a dream of mine to play at the next level and hopefully get to a higher level and make money for my family.
The Gopher Report: Do you come from a basketball family?
Walker: "My mom played when she was in high school, but she didn’t go to college for it. My dad, actually coached junior college at Cincinnati State and he has been coaching for a long time. He went to Northern Kentucky, but he got hurt."
The Gopher Report: What things are you really working on to continue to improve yourself as a player?
Walker: "I think a more consistent shot and then my ballhandling and being more aggressive on offense."
The Gopher Report: In that game, you had a couple of threes. Is that something that you take pride in, that not only can you play inside, you can shoot from the perimeter?
Walker: "Yes, I think that I am more of a three-level scorer. I can score from anywhere, really."
The Gopher Report: What do you like to do away from the basketball court?
Walker: "I like to hang out with my friends, swim, play video games and just have fun."
The Gopher Report: Have you had a chance to really go to any college games?
Walker: "Not really. Not yet. I think that I’m supposed to go on unofficials in August."
The Gopher Report: Do you think that will help you a little bit more to get a feel for what this is going to be like?
Walker: "Yes, it will."
The Gopher Report: Do you play any other sports or are you just basketball-only now?
Walker: "I’m basketball-only now. I used to play football, but I grew a lot."
The Gopher Report: When did you stop playing football?
Walker: "I stopped playing after my eighth grade year."
The Gopher Report: You have unique first name. What is the story behind your first name?
Walker: "My mom got it from a baby book. Not the name exactly, she changed it a little bit off the baby book off Ezekel."
The Gopher Report: Do many people call you that or just your mom when she’s mad at you?
Walker: "My friends call me it just for fun. I like to go by E.J."
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