Providence Legend Jimmy Walker A College Basketball Hall Of Famer

PROVIDENCE, RI — Providence College's third highest scorer and former number one overall pick Jimmy Walker will have another accolade added to his legacy: college basketball hall of famer.

The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame announced the class of 2022 today, which includes the late Walker, as well as Big East legends Jim Calhoun and Richard "Rip" Hamilton, both of Connecticut.

To call Walker a star at Providence would be an understatement.

He played for the Friars from 1964 to 1967, averaging over 25 points, six rebounds and five assists per game. Walker was a three-time All-East selection and an All-American both his junior and senior year.

He is the third leading scorer in program history at 2,045 points, and his single-season mark of 30.4 points per game leads all Friars.

Walker is a two-time NBA All-Star, and was selected with the first pick by the Detroit Pistons in the 1967 draft. He played five seasons for the Pistons, and later with the Houston Rockets and Kansas City Kings.

Walker is the father of former NBA player — and college hoops legend in his own right — Jalen Rose. He died in 2007 at 63.

The Providence basketball program used the words of longtime Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan when discussing Walker on Wednesday.

"Jimmy Walker was not just the best PC player ever. He was the best player ever to come out of Boston…Jimmy Walker was transcendent," Ryan once said. Yes, Ryan continued, even if you include Patrick Ewing, who hails from Cambridge.

Walker is joined by former UConn head coach Jim Calhoun, and former UConn guard Richard "Rip" Hamilton.

The other inductees include:

• Roy Williams
• John Beilein
• Jerry Krause
• Lon Kruger
• Larry Miller
• Frank Selvy