adidas Phenom150 spotlight: Demetrius Walker

For the diehard recruitniks, Demetrius Walker is an old name despite being a class of 2009 prospect.

The chiseled 6-foot-4 wing from Fontana (Calif.) High School received national acclaim in the seventh grade, attended the adidas Superstar All-American camp before playing in high school and along the way, Walker has tried to live up to the lofty expectations that have been placed upon him by the recruiting world and, admittedly, himself.

On the first night at the adidas Phenom150 camp, Walker looked every bit the high-major player. He ran the floor, snatched tough rebounds and knocked down perimeter shots. Perhaps his big opening night game was a message sender.

"I know there is a lot of talk out there that I'm cocky but I want people to realize that I'm not that kind of player," Walker said. "I want to compete and perform. I wanted to show my teammates that I'm just like them. I am no better or no worse than them. I might work on my game a little harder and that might be the thing that separates me from the rest."

As the camp progressed, Walker struggled with consistency. He said he knows that his moments will be looked at the whole rather than the moment.

"It just tells you to work on your game harder because you know guys are going to come at you night in and night out," Walker said. "So you have to be in the gym everyday to get ready for that. If you are not prepared, they are going to get out there and give it to you and you'll be exposed in front of everybody. You can't be nonchalant.

"I'm trying to show everybody that I can shoot the ball. Everybody is saying, 'Demetrius can't shoot the ball. He can't do this, he can't do that.' I wanted to show that I can do that. The only thing that I want to do is prove people wrong. 'Demetrius is washed up.' People are saying that. I take that as an insult. I want to prove to people that I can shoot or that I can play the post or play the point guard position."

When it comes to being a prospect, Walker certainly fits the bill in the class of 2009. He has the high-major potential. Mix that with a lot of early national attention, Walker is starting to hear from the elite high-majors.

North Carolina, UConn, Michigan State, Michigan, Texas, UCLA, Arizona and "a lot of colleges" are jumping into the mix. Walker said he isn't paying attention to the recruiting process yet.

"When I get all of those letters, I know they are sending them to thousands of other kids so I'm not focusing on it right now. I'll focus on it when it's towards the end of my junior year. There is no rush. I'm about to be a sophomore. I still have a lot of growing to do and I still have a lot of potential in my game."