Scott DeCamp - NORTON SHORES – Jordan Walker is a firm believer of the proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.”
Walker attributes much of her success and the person she is today to her upbringing in the Norton Shores community.
On Friday (Jan. 10, 2025), that village showed up in droves to celebrate Walker, a much-accomplished 2017 Mona Shores High School alumna.
Between Mona Shores’ girls and boys varsity basketball games against crosstown rival Reeths-Puffer, Walker’s No. 22 was unfurled from the balcony of the Sailor Center and immortalized during a jersey retirement ceremony.
“It definitely takes a community and a village, and my Mona Shores village is second to none,” said Walker, who is an assistant coach for the Jacksonville University women’s basketball program after her own highly successful career with Western Michigan University and University of Tennessee.
“But being able to come back, it just reminded me of playing here and coming out on Friday nights and seeing the stands full and there’s people on top of the track standing and waiting to support our team, so it was a full-circle moment.”
Walker, a 5-foot-7 guard, assembled a storybook high school career at Mona Shores, one capped by her earning the Michigan Miss Basketball award in 2017.
Her Mona Shores career was highlighted by the following:
1,648 points (No. 1 in school history)
351 assists (No. 1 in school history)
139 3-pointers (No. 1 in school history)
746 rebounds (No. 2 in school history)
391 steals (No. 3 in school history)
In addition to the Miss Basketball award, here are Walker’s other achievements at Mona Shores:
First-team all-conference all four seasons
Associated Press, Detroit News, and Detroit Free Press all-stater for three seasons
Local Sports Journal Player of the Year in 2017
Three-time MLive Dream Team selection, including Player of the Year in 2017
Two-time academic all-state
Served on the MHSAA Student Advisory Council
MHSAA Scholar-Athlete Award winner in 2017
Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame Female Athlete of the Year in 2017
At the next level, Walker started 54 games in two seasons at WMU and she started 77 games in three seasons at Tennessee. Between those schools, she finished her collegiate career with 1,359 points, 714 rebounds, 433 assists, and 227 steals.
Walker helped the Lady Vols make three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a berth in the Sweet 16.
In 2022, she was invited to participate in the USA Basketball Nationals at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.
Walker was the definition of student-athlete. She graduated from WMU in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a minor in communications. She earned a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in entrepreneurship and innovation from Tennessee in 2022. She earned a second master’s degree from Tennessee in agricultural leadership, education, and communication from Tennessee in 2023.
Walker was on the academic honor roll for six consecutive years at WMU and Tennessee.
During the 2023-24 season, she served as an assistant coach for the women’s basketball program at Mercer University.
The daughter of Danielle Smith-Walker and Jarvis Walker achieved all of this despite being faced with the adversity of two serious knee injuries, one suffered in high school and one at WMU.
“Just a lot of gratitude,” Walker reflected after her Mona Shores jersey retirement ceremony. “Just thankful to be here and have that honor because there are great players and sometimes they don’t get recognized, but for Mona Shores to take the time to do this and take the time to put this together for me, I have a heart full of gratitude.
“It’s just a testament of God’s favor and his hands on my life and the plans that he’s had for me,” Walker said. “I never expected all of that for myself, but to work at something continuously and just see what he did with the rest is just amazing.”