SALT LAKE CITY — Ben Walker has finally found a basketball home.
The junior forward just never envisioned his collegiate career going through multiple twists and turns to reach that point.
Walker started out by spending a season at the Air Force Academy. Then, after serving a two-year LDS mission, he returned home to Utah and spent a season at Salt Lake Community College. While there, Walker helped lead the Bruins to their first national championship.
Now he has taken his game to Westminster. Unlike his previous two stops, Walker is not simply limited to being a role player. He has quietly emerged as a force on both ends of the court for the defending Frontier Conference champions.
Becoming a major contributor on offense and a focal point in defensive plans of opposing teams is a situation Walker has embraced with enthusiasm.
"As a role player, It's easier to sit back and let things happen," Walker said. "When things are expected of you, it helps you play harder and practice harder and take more of a leadership role."
He has certainly helped fill a frontcourt void left by graduated stars Geoff Payne, Nate Sanchez and Danny Stosich.
Through 18 games for the Griffins (13-5, 3-1), Walker is the team leader in rebounds and blocked shots — collecting 6.3 boards and 1.7 blocks per game. He also ranks second in scoring behind Blair Prowse with 14.2 points per game.
Walker's solid all-around play is exactly what Westminster coach Tommy Connor anticipated seeing when he first recruited the forward out of SLCC. Connor believed his abilities fit the team's system and he thinks coming to the Griffins offered Walker a perfect chance to show what he could do with an increased role.
"That was what he was looking for," Connor said. "That's one reason he's here. He wanted to be an impact player. We recruited him to be one. We expect him to be one and he has been one."
Ironically, Walker's lone season playing at Air Force helped tutor him on what he could expect to see at Westminster. The Falcons employed a version of the Princeton style offense, which meant relying on crisp passing and execution to set up high-percentage shots.
The offense used by the Griffins embodies a host of similar plays and requires a skill set similar to what Walker learned at Air Force.
"Coach Connor runs almost the same offense this year as we did at the Academy," Walker said. "Even though it's my first year here, I kind of have a handle on what we've been doing. So that's really helped me out a lot."
One thing that has remained the same for Walker is the fact he is part of a successful team. Besides helping the Bruins win a NJCAA title last year, Walker's stint with Air Force came during a point in time when the Falcons were still among the upper echelon of the Mountain West Conference.
Being a part of successful basketball programs in the past has helped shape Walker into the type of player he is now.
"He has a good basketball background, experience and coaching," Connor said. "That has afforded him the opportunity to step in and be an impact player for us."
Walker has had the good fortune to play for successful teams going back to when his high school basketball days at Lehi. He attributes much of it to simple luck and circumstance.
But Walker can admit that playing a big role for a program like Westminster flush with success and tradition offers an extra dose of excitement.
"It almost flattering in a way that you're supposed to be good, you're supposed to do well and you're supposed to win games," Walker said. "It says what kind of program this is."
Helping his latest team live up to higher expectations also says plenty about what kind of player Walker has become.
e-mail: jcoon@desnews.com