Rex Walters continues to put his stamp on the University of San Francisco’s tradition-rich basketball program.
In seven seasons on the Hilltop, the former Kansas standout has guided the Dons to three postseason appearances, a pair of 20-win seasons and two wins over top-25 teams. Under Walters’ direction, the USF has finished in the top three of the West Coast Conference twice in the last five years, including 2013-14, when the Dons tied for second with a 13-5 conference mark.
USF has played in the postseason three of the last five seasons under Walters, which marks the program’s most consistent postseason run in 30 years. The Dons reached the quarterfinals of the 2011 CollegeInsider.com Tournament, made an appearance in the College Basketball Invitational in 2011-12 and earned a spot in the NIT in 2013-14. A total of 17 USF players have earned West Coast Conference honors over the last seven seasons, including eight first-team selections. Ten of his 13 recruited players have earned their undergraduate degrees while 19 have signed professional contracts in the last seven years.
The 2013-14 season was particularly noteworthy, as the Dons finish with a 21-12 record, tie for second in the West Coast Conference with a 13-5 mark and earn a bid to the National Invitation Tournament. The 21 victories marked the Dons’ highest win total since the 1981-82 team posted a 25-6 record while their 13 conference victories were the most since the 1976-77 team went 14-0 in league play while spending most of the season ranked No. 1 in the nation.
The Dons won 10 of their last 14 games, including a six-game winning streak which ended with an overtime loss in the semifinals of the WCC Championships. Cole Dickerson earned first team all-conference honors for a second straight season while Avry Holmes and Kruize Pinkins were honorable mention selections. Under Walters’ tutelage, Dickerson graduated as the school’s 19th all-time leading scorer (1,252) and its 11th all-time leading rebounder (748).
For his efforts, Walters was named the WCC’s Coach of the Year in a vote of his peers, becoming the first USF coach to win the award since Pete Barry in 1980-81.
Over the last five seasons, Walters has guided the Dons to an 89-75 record, including a 45-37 mark in WCC play. Included among his win total are three victories over perennial conference power Gonzaga.
Walters’ “Hard, Smart and Together” brand of basketball has resulted in three of the top single-season scoring marks in school history, including an outburst of 2,536 points in 2011-12, a total that ranks third all-time. The Dons have also set single-season school records for three-pointers three of the last five seasons under his guidance.
Standout Collegiate Career
A former standout player under Roy Williams at Kansas, Walters led the Jayhawks to back-to-back Big Eight titles (1991-92; 92-93) and one Final Four appearance in 1993.
As a junior, Walters averaged 16.0 points a game in helping Kansas to a 27-5 overall mark as the Jayhawks were ranked as high as second in the nation in the final AP poll. He averaged 14.4 points a game as a senior as Kansas advanced to the Final Four, where it lost to North Carolina in the semifinals.
A two-time All-Big Eight selection, Walters started 60 of 61 games and averaged 15.3 points a game and shot 40.2 percent from three-point range during his two-year career at Kansas. He was named the Big Eight’s Male Athlete of the Year in 1993.
Walters began his collegiate career at Northwestern, where he was an honorable mention All-Big 10 selection in 1989-90 as a sophomore after he led the team in scoring (17.6), three-point shooting (.473) and assists (125).
Professional Playing Career
Walters’ professional playing career spanned 10 seasons, including seven seasons in the NBA with the New Jersey Nets (1993-95), Philadelphia 76ers (1995-98) and Miami Heat (1998-2000). He also had stints with Baloncesto Leon (2000), the Kansas City Knights (2000-01; 2002-03) and CB Gran Canaria (2001-02).
The New Jersey Nets selected Walters with the 16th overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft. As a rookie, Walters saw limited playing time but led the team in field goal percentage (.522) and hit 14 of 28 three-point attempts. His role expanded in 1994-95 and his statistics improved in nearly every category.
In 1995-96, Walters was dealt to Philadelphia and started the last eight games of the season. He played in 59 games for Philadelphia in 1996-97, making 16 starts, but primarily served as the team’s third guard behind Allen Iverson and Jerry Stackhouse. He led the team in three-point shooting with a .384 mark while averaging 6.8 points a game.
He played in 38 games in 1997-98, splitting the season between Philadelphia and Miami, which signed him after he was waived by the Sixers in January of ’98. He appeared in 33 games (13 starts) for the Heat in 1998-99 and averaged 3.1 points a game.
Personal
Born March 12, 1970 in Omaha, Nebraska, Walters attended Piedmont Hills and Independence High Schools in San Jose, Calif. He earned his bachelor’s degree in education from Kansas in 1993.
Walters and his wife, Deanna reside in San Francisco with their five children, Addison, Drew, Riley, Gunner and Ace.
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