Meet your coach.
joyce walker
American women’s basketball player
coach, mentor, youth advocate
joyce Walker was a basketball star at Garfield High School in Seattle in the late 1970s. As a senior in 1980, she averaged over 35 points per game, and set still-existent Washington state tournament records of 40 points, 17 field goals, and 33 field goal attempts in a single game en route to a state championship. Her dominance landed her a place in the National High School Hall of Fame and the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Hall of Fame. She is considered by many to be the best basketball player from Washington State.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS…
In the early 1980s, Walker played at Louisiana State University on coach Sue Gunter's first Lady Tigers team, averaging nearly 25 points a game and leading the team in scoring and steals all four years. Walker still holds the all-time NCAA women's career record of 1259 field goals. She also still holds LSU career records of 2906 points, and 2238 attempts. A two-time All-American, she was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Louisiana State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017.
Walker was named to represent the USA at the 1981 William Jones Cup competition in Taipei, Taiwan. The team won seven of eight games to win the silver medal for the event. Walker led the team in scoring with 21.0 points per game and earned a spot on the All-Tournament team.
Walker played on the 1983 World University games team, coached by Jill Hutchison. She was the leading scorer for the team, averaging almost 14 points per game, and helped the team win the gold medal.
After stints playing professional basketball in Italy and Germany, Walker joined the Harlem Globetrotters as one of their first female players.
She coached the girls' basketball team at Garfield High School in Seattle, Washington. The Garfield team won the state 4A championship in 2005.
Awards
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SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE LEGEND
2018
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Seattle Public Schools sports hall of fame
2017
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LSU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION HALL OF FAME
2017
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ALUMNI ASSOCIATION U OF PHOENIX
2012
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WASHINGTON STATE BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME
2005
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NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME
2002
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3 TIME KODIAK ALL-AMERICAN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
1981-1984
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GOLD MEDAL WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES, EDMONTON TEAM
1983
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SILVER MEDAL JONES CUP, TAPEI TEAM USA
1981
