By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
EJ Walker had an impressive list of NCAA Division I college teams recruiting him during his junior year at Lloyd High School. He ended the suspense on Friday when he announced that we will continue his career at the University of South Carolina in the Southeastern Conference.
The 6-foot-8, 230-pound power forward narrowed his choices to South Carolina, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Purdue. Baseball caps bearing the insignias of those four teams were lined up in front of him when he took the stage to announce his choice during a ceremony Friday in the Lloyd gym.

“I’m really excited to be a Gamecock,” Walker said in a story posted on the GamecockCentral website. “And really what made me choose South Carolina was just we built a good relationship with Coach (Lamont) Paris … And I really just think I’m going to get an opportunity to play, use my versatility, and play my game. And I think it’s going to be a good opportunity.”
South Carolina lost to Oregon, 87-73, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season and finished with a 26-8 record. It was the Gamecocks’ first March Madness appearance since 2017 and 10th overall.
The 247Sports website has Walker listed as a four-star college prospect and ranked No. 29 nationally among power forwards in the class of 2025. He’s ranked No. 2 in Kentucky and No. 146 overall in that recruiting class.
Last season, Walker averaged 16.9 points and 11.1 rebounds per game while shooting 58.5 percent from the from the field on a 25-9 Lloyd team that made it to the semifinals of the 9th Region tournament.
He was named to the Division II conference all-star team by local coaches and selected to play in the Kentucky-Indiana Junior All-Stars game in June.