A lot of fans associate VCU’s resurgence with Shaka Smart, his players and the Final 4. But seven seasons before the Rams danced their way to March legend status, two freshmen, B.A. Walker and Jesse Pellot-Rose, helped lead the Rams back to the NCAA tournament in 2004, ending an eight-year tournament absence for the Rams while ratcheting up the excitement around VCU basketball, helping build the foundation that would eventually lead to VCU’s Final 4 success and the program we see today.
Walker, with Pellot-Rose by his side, played four great seasons with the Rams, finishing his career in style in 2007 by officially welcoming the black-and-gold to the world with an NCAA tournament win over the Duke Blue Devils, then scoring 20 points in an overtime loss to Pittsburgh the following game.
B.A. had ice water in his veins from the start of his career, hitting big shots throughout his four seasons at VCU and setting an all-time three-point record along the way.
I recently got a chance to catch up with the guy I used to call “Ice Man” from my seats as a VCU student back during those seasons. Hear what Walker is up to now, how he got there and what he has planned for the future in our latest Skype session: B.A. Walker.
