Sunday, May 16, 1999
N.KY. HIGH SCHOOL COLUMN
Walz looking forward to leading WKU
BY NEIL SCHMIDT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Exams over, Jaime Walz is home in Fort Thomas. She's now a college senior. Senior? Sounds strange.
“It has been a quick three years,” she said.
The former national Player of the Year from Highlands has suffered a star-crossed career at Western Kentucky.
Shooting slumps. Benchings. A coaching change. Arthroscopic knee surgery. Whiplash.
And when she finally began to bloom, the biggee: an ACL tear.
“I was so frustrated,” she said. “I woke up from the operation and said, "Why did this have to happen to me?'”
If you know Walz, you knew her next thought.
“I said, "I can't feel sorry for myself. I've just got to get back.'”
So here she comes. Again. Three months after having her left knee rebuilt, Walz feels strong — “It's pretty much a regular knee now,” she says — and resolved. The plan is to begin running in August and to be full speed for next season.
“What I like so much about Jaime is she looks problems in the face and says, "Let's get on with it,'” WKU coach Steve Small said.
“She has as much ability as anyone I've seen play the game. She can take a game over. And she'll have plenty of opportunities to do that this year.”
Walz was a starting guard her freshman year, averaging 8.7 points, but she sat the bench the next season and averaged just 4.9 points. This winter suggested promise, as she regained her starting spot and averaged 7.2 points and 3.3 assists through 16 games before the injury.
The game Walz and Small can't forget came Dec.31 at Vanderbilt. She made five three-pointers, scored a career-high 22 points and sealed the victory with late free throws.
“I went out and played ball without worrying or thinking,” she said. “Remembering that game, that's what's going to get me going.”
Small has likened Walz to former WKU star Kim Pehlke (1988-92), who arrived highly touted but took time to blossom. Her career scoring aver age at WKU was only 11.7 ppg.
“Everyone said of Kim, "What a great career,' but she didn't open up until the middle of her senior year,” Small said. “People didn't realize she had an up-and-down 31/2 years.”
Western had appeared in the NCAA Tournament 13 of 14 years, including three Final Fours, before missing a berth this winter. Because of graduation, a transfer and no signings, the Lady Toppers will have just nine scholarship players.
Walz, a co-captain, is one of just two seniors. It's her team now.
“I'm definitely hoping I'll step up this year to be the leader,” she said. “When I signed my letter of intent, they were one of the top programs in the country. It's slipped a little bit. I want to get it back on the rise.”
STAR STUDENTS: Former Simon Kenton basketball star Jeff Krohman graduated Saturday from Kentucky Wesleyan College with the school's highest academic and athletic honors.
Krohman, a reserve guard on Wesleyan's national championship team, graduated summa cum laude with a 3.95 GPA, double-majoring in computer science and criminal justice. He received the school's highest athletic honor — the Panther Pride Student Athlete Award — for the combination of his athletic achievements, academic success and character.
• John Walker, a Covington Catholic grad and junior basketball player at St.Andrews College, has been named to the school's honor society. The physical education major has a 3.54 GPA, specializing in the field of sports medicine. He has been named co-captain of the team for his senior season at the Division II school in Laurinburg, N.C.
ELLIOTT STARS: Boone County grad Adam Elliott, a freshman gymnast at Ohio State, helped the Buckeyes to a national runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships three weeks ago in Lincoln, Neb.
Elliott competed on pommel horse at NCAAs, scoring a 9.4. He lettered this season and competed in every meet. He made the dean's list and earned an OSU scholar-athlete award for achieving a GPA better than 3.5.
SPAULDINGS SIGN: Twin brothers Steve and David Spaulding, Dixie Heights senior soccer midfielders, have signed with different schools: David with Marshall University, Steve with Northern Kentucky University.
Both earned Enquirer all-star honors this fall. In all-state voting, David was a first-teamer and Steve an honorable mention pick.
OFFICIALS MEET: Northern Kentucky high school volleyball officials will meet at 7p.m. next Sunday at St.Joseph School in Crescent Springs. Anyone interested in becoming an official is invited. For info, call Sarah Good at 635-3860.
Neil Schmidt is The Enquirer's Northern Kentucky sports reporter. Call him at 578-5582 or send e-mail to nschmidt@enquirer.com.
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