Throughout any college basketball season, Baltimore-area hoopers often come back to the area and play in front of friends and family.
Recently, Army senior guard Jalen Rucker and Binghamton sophomore forward Gavin Walsh got to do just that. Both are Baltimore natives, with Rucker having graduated from Gilman and Walsh from Loyola Blakefield.
Rucker is wrapping up a highly productive career with Army, sitting at 1,744 points, 400 rebounds and 351 assists heading into the Black Knights’ game against American on Feb. 19. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound guard is averaging 18.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 2024-25.
Rucker returned to Baltimore for a matchup with Loyola on Feb. 12. He scored 19 points on 7 of 16 shooting, including the game-winning shot as part of a 64-60 victory:
The Black Knights remained in the area for a date at Navy on Feb. 15, a 61-54 loss to the Midshipmen. Army is 15-11 overall and 9-5 in the Patriot League this season, which is shaping up to be the best campaign of Rucker’s time in West Point.
“I think it’s been up and down,” Rucker said of the 2024-25 season. “I think we’ve learned a lot of those hard lessons that we had to go through in November and December. I think we’re finally learning from those. We’re growing up as a team. In our wins, I think you’ll see we’re getting different contributions from everybody, not just the starting five. We’re having a good season. I just want to keep it going.”
Army is tied for second in the Patriot League, putting the Black Knights in good position to at least host a conference tournament quarterfinal game. Army has never competed in the NCAA Tournament — former head coach Bob Knight famously turned down an invitation in 1968 — but winning the Patriot League tournament in March would change that.
Second-year head coach Kevin Kuwik has long been pointing to the Big Dance as a goal for the squad, according to Rucker.
“It would mean everything — first time in program history,” the guard said. “Coach Kuwik has been preaching it since the summer when we started workouts. We’ve got an opportunity to make history. We’ve got enough talent. We’ve just got to put the work in and be determined.”
Rucker has no family history that drew him to Army, but rather, he simply visited and saw what West Point was all about. He admits he was nervous to attend at first, but he was all-in after his first year. He’ll graduate in the spring as a legal studies major and be commissioned as a Field Artillery officer.
It’s meant a lot to Rucker to represent his country every time he steps on the hardwood in an Army jersey.
“It’s definitely a lot of pressure, but it’s good pressure,” he said. “I’m thankful that I have this opportunity. I’m grateful that I’m in my first year [of] going on to serve my country. It’s definitely an honor. Every time we put this jersey, we’re representing something that’s a lot bigger than ourselves, so it’s a blessing.”
Walsh visited UMBC one day after Rucker played at Loyola. The 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward is enjoying a breakout sophomore season with the Bearcats, averaging 11.1 points, 11.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 27 games. The rebounding mark is among the best in Division I hoops.
Walsh averaged 4.6 rebounds per game a year ago, mostly coming off the bench. Fourth-year Binghamton head coach Levell Sanders pushed him to take another step in clearing the boards.
“Coach L told me last year that I easily could be one of the best rebounders in the country,” Walsh said. “It was really just my whole team. Everybody boxes out. Everybody fights. We just go in there and clean it up. It’s really a team effort.”
The Bearcats are 13-14 overall and 5-7 in the America East heading into their game against New Hampshire on Feb. 20. They’re tied for fifth in the conference and have a chance to secure a home quarterfinal game with a strong finish to the regular season.
Binghamton will need help from Walsh, who has scored double-digit points in 10 of the Bearcats’ last 12 games. He scored 13 points on 5 of 11 shooting at UMBC.
“He plays his heart out. He has so much energy. He’s just kind of relentless out there. It’s hard to play against guys that are like that,” Sanders said. “He’s been doing it all year. We’re going to continue to need him to play that way. Things he needs to improve on is finishing around the rim, making free throws. I don’t want to see him just jacking up threes. … He’s really good when he drives the ball to the rim, but he’s got to stop settling for threes.”
Not only did Walsh have a chance to play in front of friends and family at UMBC, but he had an opportunity to compete against former AAU teammate and current Retrievers guard Ace Valentine, a native of Columbia and graduate of Mount Saint Joseph.
“It’s always fun,” Walsh said. “We know a lot of guys from here in the league. I grew up with him. His dad, Coach Craig, was my first coach ever and Ace was my first point guard. It’s always fun to ignite that little rivalry and go back and forth.”
Photo Credit: Carrie Johnston