Marcedes Walker

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Marcedes Walker
Personal information
Born (1986-10-17) October 17, 1986 (age 37)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
NationalityAmerican / Azerbaijani
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight253 lb (115 kg)
Career information
High schoolUniversity City
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
CollegePittsburgh (2004–2008)
WNBA draft2008: undrafted
Playing career2008–present
PositionCenter
Career history
2008Houston Comets
2009–2011Pallacanestro Pozzuoli [it]
2011Elitzur Netanya
2011–2012Elitzur Holon
2012Orduspor
2012KK Row Rybnik
2012–2013TED Ankara Kolejliler
2013–2014Edirne Spor
2014–2015Canik Belediyespor
2015–2017Çankaya Üniversitesi
2017–2018Osmaniye GSK
2018–2019Aci Koleji

Marcedes Marie Walker (born October 17, 1986) is an American-Azerbaijani basketball player who is a member of the Azerbaijan women's national 3x3 team. She played college basketball for the Pittsburgh Panthers and later played professionally in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for the Houston Comets.

Early life

Walker was born on October 17, 1986, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1] She attended University City High School in Philadelphia, where she was a standout three-sport athlete, competing in basketball, volleyball and track and field.[2] For the basketball team, she served as a three-year team captain and led the team in scoring and rebounding all three of those years, being a three-time All-City selection.[2] She averaged 21.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game as a senior and was named an honorable mention McDonald's All-American.[2]

College career

Although Walker had a number of offers to play college basketball for powerhouse teams, she choose to commit to the Pittsburgh Panthers; Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted that at the time, Pittsburgh "was a joke in women's basketball", but credited Walker with having "resurrected the program from the dead".[3] She saw significant playing time as a freshman in 2004–05, starting 26 games before injury and averaging 13.3 points and 9.1 rebounds; she led Pittsburgh in scoring and was the Big East Conference leader in rebounding.[2] She was named honorable mention All-Big East and to the All-Big East Rookie Team.[2]

As a sophomore, Walker appeared in all 33 games and started 31, placing top 10 in the Big East Conference in scoring, rebounds and field-goal percentage.[2] She led the Panthers in four categories: scoring (16.8), rebounds (9.1), steals (49) and blocks (36).[2] A team captain, she was named first-team All-Big East at the end of the season.[2] She then started 32 games in the 2006–07 season, being named first-team All-Big East and to the Kodak/WCA District I All-America team after helping Pittsburgh appear in the NCAA Tournament.[2][4] As a senior, she was named an All-American and second-team All-Big East selection, leading Pittsburgh to their furthest-ever placement in the NCAA Tournament.[3][5][6] As of 2024, she is Pittsburgh's all-time leading rebounder (1,162) and is sixth all-time in scoring (1,870).[5]

Professional career

After going unselected in the 2008 WNBA draft, Walker signed with the Houston Comets.[7] She survived the roster cutdowns and made the opening-day roster.[8] She appeared in two games, scoring no points, before being released on June 16, 2008.[9]

After her brief stint in the WNBA, Walker played the rest of her career abroad.[10] She played for Pallacanestro Pozzuoli [it] in Italy from 2009 to 2011, then moved to Israel and played for Elitzur Netanya B.C. in 2011.[10] She played for Elitzur Holon from 2011 to 2012 before moving to Turkey, joining Orduspor in 2012.[10] She also played for KK Row Rybnik and TED Ankara Kolejliler in 2012, staying with the latter until 2013, when she left for Edirne Spor.[10] She was named the most valuable player of the Turkish second division in 2014 and led her team to the league championship, being a first-team all-conference choice.[11] She played for Canik Belediyespor from 2014 to 2015, Çankaya Üniversitesi from 2015 to 2017, and Osmaniye GSK from 2017 to 2018 before finishing her career with Aci Koleji from 2018 to 2019.[10] In her last season, with Aci Koleji, she appeared in 25 games and averaged 14.0 points.[10]

3x3 career

Walker, along with WNBA player Tiffany Hayes, became an Azerbaijani citizen in 2015, to compete for the Azerbaijan women's national 3x3 team at the 2015 European Games.[12] She competed for the team at several tournaments in the following years and helped them qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics; she was one of four players chosen to compete for the team at the Olympics.[13]

References

  1. ^ "Marcedes Walker Stats". Basketball-Reference.com.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Marcedes Walker". Pittsburgh Panthers.
  3. ^ a b Cook, Ron (March 29, 2008). "Role model Walker fulfills huge promise". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ "Pitt Alumna Marcedes Walker Headed to 2024 Paris Olympics". Pittsburgh Panthers. July 3, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Purucker, Matthew (July 3, 2024). "Pitt basketball alum Marcedes Walker to compete in Paris Olympics for Azerbaijan". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
  6. ^ White, Mike (January 18, 2008). "Sisters holding court here after move". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 1, 14 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  7. ^ "Colleges". The Philadelphia Inquirer. April 13, 2008. p. D15 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  8. ^ "Marcedes Walker Earns Spot On WNBA's Houston Comets' Roster". Pittsburgh Panthers. May 19, 2008.
  9. ^ Dial, Jenny (June 16, 2008). "Comets release forward Marcedes Walker". Houston Chronicle.
  10. ^ a b c d e f "Marcedes Marie Walker". Eurobasket.com.
  11. ^ Hunt, Donald (June 15, 2014). "Marcedes Walker to run free basketball camp". The Philadelphia Tribune.
  12. ^ "Azerbaijani basketball stars: History in Hong Kong, on their way to Paris". idman.biz. April 15, 2024.
  13. ^ "Azerbaijan basketball 3x3 Women's National Team for Paris 2024 Olympics Announced". FIBA. July 3, 2024.
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