LocalSportsJournal.com

Jordan Walker is the state of Michigan’s 2017 Miss Basketball.

The Mona Shores standout was given the prestigious award, which goes to the top senior girls player in the state, by the Detroit Free Press today after completing an incredible season and career for the Sailors.

The award is determined by a vote of the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan, in conjunction with the Free Press.

Miss Basketball winner Jordan Walker takes a shot during a recent game.

Walker received 375 first-place votes and totaled 2,482 points, according to the Free Press Warren Cousino’s Kierra Fletcher finished second in the voting with 291 first-place votes and 2,382 points.

Walker, a 5-7 guard, was a four-year starter for Mona Shores, which finished 19-4 this season. She averaged 22.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game in her senior season, which ended last week when the Sailors lost in regionals to Hudsonville.

Walker’s accomplishment is even more remarkable, considering she suffered torn ACL in the summer following her sophomore year, and worked extremely hard to return to the court and continue her development.

“Where I’m at now to win this award, it’s all on God because, without Him, I wouldn’t be here where I’m at right now,” she told the Free Press. “You take so many things for granted like running up and down the court and shooting the ball and different things like that. You take it for granted every single time you play.

“To have that taken away from me for five months, it’s a huge thing when you really love the game of basketball. I grew to love it deeper during that time.” Walker complied quite a list of stats during her varsity basketball career at Mona Shores. The senior guard amassed 1,658 points, 351 assists, 380 steals and 680 rebounds.

She became Mona Shores’ all-time leading scorer in January by reaching 1,365 points. That broke the mark held for more than two decades by former Sailor standout Jamie Ahlgren.

Walker also became the school’s all-time assist leader this year. She’s the first Mona Shores player to win the Miss Basketball award.

“We found out on Tuesday (that she had won) and we were sworn to secrecy because of how quickly word can get out on social media,” said Mona Shores girls basketball Coach Brad Kurth. “This was a tough thing to keep under wraps.

“It couldn’t have happened to a greater kid. She’s a complete basketball player and she fills the stat box with everything. She was our best defensive player for the last three years. She had to guard the best opposing player each night and welcomed it with open arms.”

Walker was also a standout in the classroom and currently sports a 3.9 grade point average. She has served on the Michigan High School Athletic Association Student Advisory Council for the past few years.

She will study and play basketball at Western Michigan University in the fall.