Davis, Walker moving on to Hope International
A pair of Orange Coast College men's basketball standouts -- freshman Joshua Davis and sophomore Jumoke Walker -- will be moving on from OCC and will continue the athletic and academic careers at Hope International University.
Davis, a 6-7, forward/center for the Pirates last year, was one of the top players in all of California Community College basketball in 2017-18, averaging 18.3 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, helping the Pirates to their first Orange Empire Conference championship and a berth in the CCCAA Men's Basketball State Championship Tournament for the first time since 1979.
The 2017 OEC Co-Most Valuable Player and Orange Coast College Male Athlete of the Year, Davis became just the 14th Pirate in school history to reach the 500-point mark with 549 total points. In fact, his 549 points is the 15th-highest point total in OCC history and the most since 1999-2000, when David Castleton scored 622 for the Pirates.
Davis played in all 30 games (28 starts) and saw his numbers get better and better as the season progressed. In fact, over the final eight games of the season (including the playoffs), Davis averaged 21.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.
Walker, the floor general and team leader for the Pirates, played in 27 games and averaged 5.2 points and 2.5 assists per game, but his contributions to the Pirate program went way beyond the numbers.
HIU head coach Bill Czech was able to watch both Davis and Walker and he liked what he saw from both players. "I love Jumoke's leadership qualities and his defensive style really fits into what we try to do at Hope International so that's exciting," Czech said. "He's a relentless competitor and he even led OCC in 3-point shooting percentage, but didn't have to shoot all that much because of the team around him.
"Josh is a difference-maker, no doubt about it," Czech continued. "When he's down low, he commands a double team and when he is double-teamed, his ability to find the open man and pass out of it is very impressive. I'm happy to have both of these young men become a part of the HIU family and it's been great working with (OCC head coach Steve Spencer) to get this accomplished."
