Rising Star: Height’s Zyanna Walker

WICHITA, Kan. (Catch it Kansas) - Considered by many to the the top girls basketball player in Wichita, Zyanna Walker announced earlier in July that she’d be continuing her academic and athletic career with the Louisville Cardinals. But, she’s had a long journey to get to this point.

“It’s been frustrating. It’s unfortunate that I haven’t been able to play all that I was supposed to but it’s just motivational and I keep pushing through it,” said Heights senior and Louisville commit, Zyanna Walker.

Now a senior at Wichita Heights, Walker has been collecting Division 1 basketball offers for years, even after she tore her ACL in early 2020, which cut her sophomore season short, right before the state tournament.

“It was really rough and then we were having a great season, we were undefeated,” said Walker.

After a year of rehab, Walker tore her meniscus in 2021 in the same leg which forced her to miss her junior season. The point guard is excited to finally get back on the court for her senior season and show people why she’s the 30th overall 2022 prospect in the country, according to ESPN.

“It means a lot, it’s my passion, it’s what I love to do,” said Walker. “I just love the game so much.”

Out of over thirty other scholarship offers, Walker said she’s 110 percent committed to the University of Louisville.

“The coaches were just really honest with me. I had a great visit and I just felt like home when I was there. It was really fun,” said Walker. “The coaches were amazing, met the players and they were great too, nice facilities, it was just the perfect fit.”

Before committing to the Cardinals, who reached the Elite Eight in the 2021 Women’s NCAA Tournament, Walker said years ago, she never thought she’d get D1 interest.

“About sixth grade, I wasn’t very good and I wasn’t to be good so my coach said, ‘If you want to make it to the next level, you have to get a jump shot.’ So, I worked that whole year, got a jump shot and just improved over the years,” said Walker.

Walker plans to continue that handwork to reach her life goal of playing in the WNBA. Then she want’s to build a lifelong career around the sport she loves, as a college coach.

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