Out the Mud: SU Walk-Ons

We all hear about the student athletes who get recruited on scholarship, but what about those who join the team late? In 2017, the NCAA reported that forty-six percent of D1 athletes were walk-ons.
With such a large percent of most sports teams consisting of walk-on players, their presence is crucial for the team’s success.
As a student athlete it’s always important to exhibit excellence on and off the field or court. However, for walk-ons it’s about putting in the extra effort to get a chance to show your skills.
Here at Southern University, certain sports tend to have more walk-on players than others; basketball is one of those sports. A common misconception about walk-ons is that the caliber for these players must be lower than that of those players who get recruited, when in reality, they are some of best talent on the team.
When asked what he looks for in walk-ons, Southern University’s head basketball coach, Sean Woods, said in an interview with The Southern Digest, “Just good character kids…they can’t [afford to] come in with baggage. They got to have good grades and [be] willing to work.” Essentially, walk-on players are held to the same standard, if not higher, as the players who get recruited.
The Southern Digest got the opportunity to speak with two of Southern University’s men’s basketball team walk-ons. They expressed to the Digest that their experience, though a unique one, doesn’t separate them from the rest of their team.
Both players made it clear that more emphasis is put on being a great player than on how each player got their spot on the team. Isaiah Rollins for example, a freshman electrical engineering major from Opelousas, Louisiana, assures the Digest, “If you’re playing well, if you’re producing on the court and you’re helping the team get a win, then you’ll get more of a chance. It’s not about if you’re here on scholarship; it’s about if you’re here to help the team win,”
Destin Dunton, a sociology major from Panama City, Florida, reaffirms his teammate Rollins’ sentiments about the value of skill over everything. Dunton guarantees, “You’re already here, so once you’re here you just gotta play.” Currently a starter for Southern’s men’s basketball team, Destin Dunton proves that ultimately hard work paired with skill is the deciding factor for how far a player will go on Southern’s team.
Given the vast athletic talent that populates Southern University, it is remarkably difficult to earn a spot on the men’s basketball team. Walk-ons typically tend to have the additional challenge of assimilating to a team already in motion. With the pressure to perform being so high, walk-ons can end up being thrown into a tense environment.
Luckily, Southern University’s men’s basketball team has proven to be a very accepting environment for its players, walk-ons and recruitments alike. With such an inclusive environment, it’s no surprise that the walk-on players, as well as the recruited players, fair so well.