Dallas Walton is easy to spot when the Arvada West boys basketball team takes the floor --; the seven-foot-tall senior towers over his teammates.
"I think I have always been blessed with height," Walton said after the Jan. 27 game against Bear Creek. "I think I started playing basketball when I was about 5 years old. I loved the game when I started playing the game and I have loved it every since."
His height gives him an advantage when he posts up near the basket. Teammates can lob the ball high enough to him that defenders usually can't block the pass.
Walton has shown that he can dunk the ball, put up a soft layup off the backboard and even shoot accurately from 10 to 20 feet.
He also is a factor crashing the boards. His height and long arms enable him to have a chance to sweep away the rebound before the other team's players can get to it.
"I was hurt last year and didn't get to play," Walton said. "But I did work on improving my game, particularly mentally."
He said he has gotten stronger physically, which has helped him to absorb more hits and give some hits back when he is battling with opponents in the lane.
"I love basketball," he said with a smile. "I love being a part of good team wins. I love dunking the ball or hitting a shot and I love when I can give a great assist to one of my teammates."
He said his personal goals for the season are to help his team win the league championship and do the best he can to help his team go as far as possible in the state playoffs.
Walton played at Ralston Valley as a freshman. In the spring of his sophomore year, he was playing in an Amateur Athletic Union tournament and suffered a knee injury. The injury required surgery and at least nine months of rehabilitation, so he saw no court action last year at Arvada West.
He is doing well this season. Currently he is second in the Jefferson County League in rebounding, averaging 11.1 rebounds a game, and he is fourth in scoring, averaging 16.3 points a game. He also leads the league in blocked shots, averaging 2.8 blocks a game.
The state uses the league statistics to rate all Class 5A players, and Walton is fourth in rebounding and in the top 20 in scoring.
from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.comhttp://arvadapress.com/stories/Wildcats-Walton-controls-the-paint,206302?branding=15
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