Four-star forward C.J. Walker narrowing his focus

Four-star forward C.J. Walker has always been a high-level athlete, but now he's turned into a high-level basketball player.

One of the most versatile defenders in America, the 6-foot-7 combo forward from Orlando (Fla.) Christian Prep has outplayed his No. 99 national ranking in the class of 2019 this spring. He's narrowed his focus to Arkansas, Florida, Louisville, LSU and Tennessee while taking his game to a new level.

"The key was finding a routine workout," Walker said. "Before, I was kind of working out here and there and working on this and that. Now it's more strict. Tuesday and Thursday is weights and Monday, Wednesday and Friday is strictly basketball, and that's made my game come together.

"College coaches have also been telling me that I have a great motor and that it can take me far if I use it 100 percent of the time."

Arkansas: "They press, they run and they let their bigs play in that wide-open offense. They do a good job of spacing the floor and letting everybody work and show their skill set."

Florida: "We talk on the phone a lot. Probably at least once or twice a day, and we are on the same page with stuff. They keep in touch with my parents and they fit my style of play."

Louisville: "They have the same thing in common with the other schools. They have that uptempo feel. I think they would let me work."

LSU: "Their style of play, they let their bigs go to work. They said that they've got uptempo style of play and lots of freedom to move."

Tennessee: "Tennessee has an open offense, too, and they stay in touch with me, my parents and my coach. They know every event I'm going to play in and they are watching my game a lot."

Maybe it was playing alongside 2018's No. 2 player Nassir Little that hid some of Walker's talent. Or maybe playing alongside a hard-playing beast like Little allowed Walker to learn what was necessary to take his game to the next level. Whatever it was that got into Walker this spring while playing with Each 1 Teach 1 in Nike's EYBL, he's looked like one of the most improved players in the country.

When it comes to making a decision, Walker made it pretty clear that he's eager to get something done, and that he's not looking to waste the time of the schools recruiting him. He wants to get some visits set as soon as possible and is hoping to get a decision out of the way toward the end of the summer.

"We've been waiting to hear when our visits are going to be set," said Walker. "They are going to be before my next school year and season. I'm ready (to decide). I just need to see what the environment is like at each school and which one I like the most and also see how the coaches are towards the players and how the players are towards each other."