Walker steps in to lead Lady Bulldogs

Valley native Audrianna Walker will be leading LaFayette Highs varsity basketball team as head coach this upcoming season, replacing Travis Carswell.

It means the world [to be a Lady Bulldog], Walker said.

I'm very thankful and blessed to get the opportunity to do it.

I'm ready to work, I'm ready to commit.

I appreciate the support I'm already getting from the community, thats Valley, Lanett and LaFayette, the whole area.

I'm just ready to work.

I'm not focused on what happened before me, or nothing like that.

I'm trying to come in and build a whole new standard and identity of what we want and go from there.

Walker, who has played basketball since she was little, graduated from Valley High in 2014 and went on to play four years of college basketball, including two years at Southern Union and two years at University of Northwestern Ohio.

She has coached rec basketball and has run a business devoted to helping kids with academics through mentorship and tutoring since 2019.

Walkers main goals in her first year with the Lady Bulldogs is to work to make the program better and get the girls excited about their sport.

I'm just excited to get to work, see what we can produce and what we could do, Walker said.

She ultimately wants to see them reach the playoffs and win championships, but she first wants to see them win more games, including the often tough games against powerhouse rivals Valley and Lanett.

Walker wants her young team to build and get better every day, both on the court and off the court.

She hopes to inspire the girls with lessons that go deeper than basketball.

She will teach them her motto W.I.N.

Today, which stands for Walking with purpose, Inspired greatness and Never quit.

Walker wants to create sisterhood within the team and help their behavior, grades and overall selves.

Were going to use that [motto] on the court, in the classroom, just everyday life, Walker said.

We can't really worry about tomorrow.

We can't focus on what happened yesterday.

We just have to wake up and be the best person we can be every day, just win that day, that moment, that second, and let everything else take care of itself.

Really, for me, it's just to change their mindset as young kids to know that I can do it, I can be successful, I can play basketball, I can make good grades, I can be whatever I want to be, Walker said.

That's my whole goal, to encourage them and push them against their limits, put them in the uncomfortable spots so they'll grow.

This article has been shared from the original article on valleytimesnews, here is the link to the original article.