At the beginning of the week, South Carolina basketball target EJ Walker announced his top-4 schools and set a commitment date of Friday, May 24th. The South Carolina Gamecocks, Purdue Boilermakers, Wisconsin Badgers, and Ohio State Buckeyes all made his final list.
On Friday evening, the talented and versatile player announced a commitment to Lamont Paris and the Gamecocks.
A dynamic offensive player with positional versatility and plenty of shooting touch, Walker has the potential to develop into a big-time player at the collegiate level. He is rated as a power forward, but Walker was a wing for much of his high school career before a growth spurt saw him grow to 6'8". Now, he plays almost every position for his Lloyd Memorial High School squad.
Walker is a comfortable and aggressive shooter who hasn't found a shot on the court that he doesn't like. He has plenty of range as a shooter, and he has the ability to knock down tough shots with defenders in his face.
His length and upside as an athlete will allow Walker to become a versatile and useful defender at the college level if he buys into Lamont Paris' system.
The Gamecocks' 2025 recruiting class already includes electric scoring guard Eli Ellis and in-state power forward Hayden Assemian. Adding Walker gives the Gamecocks three high-upside freshmen for the 2025-2026 team.
With five seniors on the roster this year (Jamarii Thomas, Jacobi Wright, Myles Stute, Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk, and Nick Pringle) and two players who could be weighing underclassman NBA decisions (Collin Murray-Boyles and Cam Scott), South Carolina basketball coach Lamont Paris has lots of roster flexibility for next season, so recruiting the '25 cycle even more is a real possibility for the Gamecocks.
Depending on which recruiting outlet one checks, Walker is rated as either the 2nd-highest or 3rd-highest commitment in the class of 2025 for the Gamecocks, but he is almost assured of outperforming his recruiting rankings.
You can watch some of his film here.