Huskies nab Walker

It is hard to say no to your dream school. So when the opportunity presented itself to Kemba Walker to play at Connecticut, the New York City point guard jumped at the chance to play for the Big East powerhouse.

Walker, one of the fastest rising prospects in the country, committed to the Huskies on Saturday, according to his coaches within the New York Gauchos AAU program.

"He has always said that if he could go to UConn, than he was going there," a source close to the New York Gauchos program. "It wasn't that hard of a decision for him. After he visited UConn, he knew he was ready to go there."

Walker visited earlier in the month and wasted little time making his decision final.

"It is a good situation for me," Walker said. "They play an uptempo game and there is a chance for me to go in and play right away at the point guard position and run the team. It's going to be great to play for a Hall of Fame coach that is a good person. That's pretty much where I wanted to go for a long time, it's my dream school."

Walker has a familiar face to connect with in Storrs. Former Rice and New York Gaucho star Curtis Kelly is entering his sophomore season with the Huskies.

"He is actually a big part (in why I picked UConn)," Walker said. "He's a Rice guy and it's going to be like old times again. He's a good person to be around."

Walker joins Nate Miles in Connecticut's 2008 recruiting class. Walker also considered Arkansas, Cincinnati, Memphis, Miami and St. John's. Walker said UConn's success in producing NBA players played a big role as well.

"My dream is to play in the NBA and if there is one thing Jim Calhoun has done in the last couple of years, it's putting players in the pros."

Walker has a busy month ahead of him. He leaves for Colorado for the USA Youth Development Festival on Wednesday. In July, he'll attend the Steve Nash point guard camp and the LeBron James camp as well as trips to the Peach Jam and Las Vegas.