URI Basketball Walk-Ons – What Makes Them Tick?

URI Basketball Walk-Ons – What Makes Them Tick?

In college athletics, walk-ons are student-athletes who are full team members but do not get a scholarship. They pay the same tuition for school as those who are not athletes.

 

Long day

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Here is the deal. You have to be in the weight room every weekday at 7:00 am. Then, it’s off to class, reading textbooks, writing papers, and studying. You can never lose track of time as you have to be in the gym by 2:00 pm, an hour before practice starts. During the two to two-and-a-half-hour practice, a walk-on will compete against and chase around players who are bigger, stronger, and faster than they are. You can never let up or take a day off.

After a shower and dinner, you get back to your dorm at about 6:00 pm, often exhausted. On weekends you do the same thing but have a later start because there are no classes. Oh, and there is travel. It’s not relaxing travel to some sunny vacation spot. It’s grinding travel taking a bus to the airport for a flight or a bus ride to a game site. Bus rides could be as many as six hours in one day. You better take some textbooks with you as you are still responsible for the content taught in the classes you miss.

 

Told not to expect to play in any games

When you commit to this servitude, which goes on for seven months, you are told not to expect to play in a game all year. Are you in?

 

URI’s two walk-ons

I sat down with URI’s two walk-ons to get to know them and try and learn why they do it and what makes them tick.

Jimmy Ball is a 6’2” junior guard from Medford, Mass, having played his high school ball at Arlington Catholic. It’s his third year as a walk-on. He is a psychology major who loves URI and is passionate about basketball. He comes across as mature, confident, and a thinker. He has a strong sense of who he is and what he wants.

Jaymien Aponte is a 6’3” freshman guard from Cranston, RI. He played at Cranston High School West. His grandmother emigrated from the Dominican. He is very close to his extended family. Aponte is just starting out. He is a business major in his first college semester and living away from home for the first time.

 

Walk-ons become the scout team, replicating the opponents

A significant role of the walk-ons is to serve as the scout team in practices. They must be at practice early to learn the plays and strategies of the upcoming opponent. Along with the redshirt players and a coach, they form a team that replicates the opponent’s offensive and defense actions. The walk-ons must push hard, preparing the team for the next game. They could be placed in any position and, therefore, could go up against a much taller player and even URI’s 7-foot center when they do four-on-four drills.

 

Walk-ons provide stability

With all the turnover and roster transition now common in college athletics, walk-ons are usually a group that stays on the team year after year. They now have taken on a new and essential role in assisting the coaches in orientating new players to the program, daily schedule, and expectations. Ball has the most tenure on the team, being one of only two players who have been with the team for three years.

 

How do you become a walk-on? Is there a tryout?

Jimmy Ball: “Both Jay and I are 'Preferred walk-ons.' We had connections with coaches, and after passing muster at workouts and with character checks, we were told if we came to URI, we would make the team. Sometimes there are open tryouts, but URI has not done that in a few years.”

 

What is it like to go against the starters and other scholarship players?

Jaymien Aponte: “It’s tough, but it’s good. We are learning how to guard different players as we guard different positions all the time.”

 

Why do you put yourself through so much with little chance of playing?

Jimmy Ball: “Coming out of high school, I knew I wanted to be surrounded by players that were better than me, and it’s really pushed me out of my comfort zone. I feel like that is the only way to grow as a player and as a person, both physically and mentally. I have grown a lot since high school, and that was my intention the whole time.”

Jaymien Aponte: “It’s a lot of work, but I love it. I enjoy the sport so much. I have always loved it since I was a kid. Coming out of high school, I wanted to keep playing. I did not want to be one of those kids who stopped and gave up on their dreams. A lot of people said it is hard to go to Division 1, but I wanted to keep trying and keep going.

 

You could get playing time at a D III or D II school. Why not do that?

Jimmy Ball: "I have had those thoughts. I love this school, but I am super competitive, so I looked at transferring to a lower level last year. Some D IIIs and D IIs were interested, but my role wasn’t guaranteed. So I decided to stay here because I have a really good situation even though I am not on the court. I plan on graduating and getting my degree here."

Jaymien Aponte: "Jimmy and I have talked a little bit about how we miss the feeling from high school of coming to a game and having your teammates look to you to perform and be a leader on the court. To have the confidence that everyone is looking to you and you get out there and do it. It’s a great feeling, but we both feel we are part of something bigger than that now."

 

When you guys do get in a game, are you aware of how much the fans are rooting for you? How the noise and energy level in the arena pick up?

Jimmy Ball: “It’s hard to ignore. It’s an amazing feeling if you look at it the right way. But there is also an aspect to it where it’s almost like you would rather be able to just play basketball instead of having all eyes on you to try and score. To be able to play basketball without the extra attention is how you play the best."

 

Can you feel your teammates are also supporting and rooting for you?

Jaymien Aponte: "Yeah, our teammates always provide a lot of support, not just when we get into games. They show a lot of love all of the time. They understand what we are doing, and they appreciate it."