UCLA basketball fans need to refamiliarize themselves with the name Walton.
Thirty years ago Bill, the dad, helped make the Bruins one of the greatest basketball dynasties ever. The tide has turned, and Luke, the son, has emerged from the shadows.
The bloodline is taking the nation by storm in pursuit of a national title, but at the same time, it’s looking to tear down the rafters at Pauley Pavilion.
Luke Walton is one of the best all-around players in college basketball, and he is leaving his mark on the nation, the Pac-10, and his team, the No. 1 Arizona Wildcats.
“Luke is a threat to anyone he plays,” UCLA guard Ray Young said. “He looks so good in Arizona’s system, and he poses a threat to us because he can play any of the five positions.”
Last season Luke was the Pac-10 assist leader with 6.3 a game, but more notable was the fact that he did so as a forward.
Bill was an amazing passer too. As a center, he averaged 5.6 assists a game in 1973 for UCLA. Luke is a point-forward who can average 15 points while crashing the boards for seven rebounds a night.
“I take a lot of pride in trying to be good in every aspect of my game,” he said. “Basketball’s been a lifestyle for me since I was little, and I go out and work on my game every day.”
Luke was born and raised in San Diego, and has lived the typical life basketball legend’s son. So have his brothers, two of whom (Adam and Nathan) used to play college ball and one (Chris) currently with San Diego State.
The opportunity to play in Westwood was available to Luke, but he chose Arizona, and it has been a blessing for him ever since.
“I like Lavin. I like a lot of the players, but I would love to come in there and demolish the team,” Walton said. “There are no bad feelings, but UCLA was not the right choice for me and it’d be real nice.”
Every team that faces Arizona sets its defense specifically to contain Walton.
But he plays for a team that is 10 guys deep, making it difficult to just focus attention on him or one other player. He is free to do as he pleases.
“Luke’s a playmaker, and not a superior athlete in the traditional sense, but because of his basketball IQ he’s able to compete,” UCLA head coach Steve Lavin said. “We definitely look at (point guard) Jason (Gardner) and Luke as the critical leaders of that Wildcat team.”
Lavin calls Walton’s ability to make his teammates look better “a sixth sense.” Whatever Luke does, it works.
“Team is everything and stats are just way overrated,” he said. “I’m trying to make everyone better and team must go before my stats.”
One statistic not in the box score is character. While the Wildcats are dominating the media, Luke’s appearance is exploited.
His arm is tattooed with Grateful Dead skeletons playing basketball and his well-known curls are grown out, but he’s not trying to be a bad boy.
Luke defends the image, saying he just wants to have fun and make people look at the Walton name differently.
“He can put his own legacy on the Pac-10, but I’ll still have to guard him straight up,” UCLA forward Jason Kapono said. “You can’t shut him down, but you can try and stop him.”
With the rebirth of the Walton phenomenon, players can just sit back and watch the best team in the nation do its thing.
The son is coming to town very soon.