Bill Walker out for the season. January 8, 2007

Did someone just kick me in the balls? That’s sure what it felt like after I learned that K-State Freshman Bill Walker would be out for the season with a torn ACL.

To be completely honest I did not expect this serious of an injury after watching Walker’s hard landing Saturday against Texas A&M. I was relieved to see him return the bench in the second half sans crutches. I was even a bit hopeful after I heard this morning that Walker’s first MRI was inconclusive. But now it seems as though Bill Walker’s first season at K-State will end after only six games.

With Bobby Knight and Texas Tech coming to town for Big Monday, the healthy portion of the team must not let this be a distraction. K-State played tough at College Station and nearly pulled off the upset of the No. 11 ranked team in the country. All this with Walker out during most of the game. With Walker hurt, it was Akeem Wright who decided to step it up a notch and make up for the 11.3 ppg sitting on the bench. If he’d had a bit more help from points-per-game leader Cartier Martin, K-State might have knocked off their first ranked team of the season.

Just as Walker’s addition to the team seemed to inspire the other players, so too must his temporary departure. The rest of the team must use this as motivation to step up their own game. Tonight’s showdown with Texas Tech will be a good indication of how much the “original” K-State team his improved.