After experiencing some homesickness in his first year at Academy of the New Church, Ontario native Dinjiyl Walker is flourishing.
"It was a little bit hard at first, coming over here and not knowing anyone," Walker said. "But the team really embraced me, made me feel like part of the family. I'm thankful for that."
Walker, who arrived in Bryn Athyn in 2010, is equally comfortable on the hardwood, as he showed in Friday night's Friends Schools League showdown vs. Westtown.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound, senior combination guard registered 12 of his game-high 23 points in the third quarter as the host Lions pulled away from the Moose and easily triumphed, 57-40.
"He's been excellent this season," ANC coach Kevin Givens said. "We're getting a lot from him every game."
In 31 minutes, Walker shot 9 for 15 from the field (3 for 6 from three-point land) and 2 for 7 from the line. He added six assists, five steals (four in the first quarter), and three rebounds.
"He's a fantastic player," Westtown coach Seth Berger said. "We knew coming in that he was the kind of player who could win the game by himself."
Paul Cannon, Walker's JV coach in Canada, met Givens during a tournament at now-defunct Cardinal Dougherty.
"Since basketball is not that big over there, he asked about the possibility of Dinjiyl coming over here to play," Givens said. "He then followed up, found out that ANC had high academic standards, and thought it would be a good fit."
With the Lions (12-3 overall, 4-0 FSL) ahead by 33-25 in the third quarter, Walker ignited a crushing 17-1 run. He dished three assists in the frame, setting up Jayson Hankins (nine boards) for two buckets and Marcus Gilbert for a layup.
Walker, who netted 30 points in an early-season victory, is hearing from the likes of Fairfield and Binghamton. A Georgia Tech assistant watched him play recently against Abington Friends.
Against the Moose, Gilbert, a 6-6 senior bound for Fairfield, managed 10 points, four boards, three assists, and three blocks in 28 minutes.
With help from Hankins, Gilbert limited 6-9 forward and Villanova recruit Daniel Ochefu to five points. Ochefu (10 boards, three blocks, two assists) took only five shots from the field.
"My main focus was to keep my hands up and put ball pressure on him," Gilbert said. "I wanted to take him out of the game early."
Jeremy Schulkin, a 6-4 senior, paced Westtown (12-8, 2-1) with 13 points. The visitors committed seven turnovers in the first quarter and 18 overall.
Westtown 7 12 7 14 – 40
Acad. New Church 14 12 24 7 – 57
W: Floyd Preito 12, Daniel Ochefu 5, Jeremy Schulkin 13, Yilret Yiljep 7, Leonard Klein 3.
ANC: Vincent Jackson 3, Daniel Pittman 10, Dinjiyl Walker 23, Darryl Bryant 3, Marcus Gilbert 10, Jayson Harkins 8.
Contact staff writer Rick O'Brien at 610-313-8019, robrien@phillynews.com, or @ozoneinq on Twitter. Read his blog, "The O'Zone," at www.philly.com/ozone
