Lonnie Walker IV thrilled by turnout for his first basketball tournament
Jun. 19—Lonnie Walker IV slipped into the Geigle early Saturday morning to get in a little workout before heading over to his basketball tournament at City Park.
He got chills being back on the court where he launched a basketball legacy that has taken him to the NBA.
The place has changed a little since he was last home a couple years ago. The PIAA Class 6A championship that he helped Reading High win in 2017 now has a partner; the Red Knights claimed that title again in late March.
When Walker saw the newest trophy he said he got chills again.
"That is ... something that we needed," Walker said. "The fact that they pulled it out ... I've got nothing but respect for that team. The players Coach P (Rick Perez) had are nothing but 'dawgs.' They were mentally ready, physically ready and they just played team ball."
Walker was Pennsylvania's Player of the Year five seasons ago and people already were looking at him as a future first-round NBA pick. It was no great surprise that he led the Red Knights to the top.
Walker wasn't on the floor when the Red Knights beat Archbishop Wood 58-57 at the Giant Center March 27, but his presence was felt. Every one of the guys in a Reading uniform had seem him play in high school and were inspired by his journey.
That means a lot to him.
"I'm happy that what I wanted for the youth is coming true," he said. "(I always) just (wanted) to motivate them. I've given them some stuff to believe. They've seen that I can do it — they (know now they) can do it. It all comes from hard work."
Walker was giving back again Saturday with the first Lonnie Walker IV Foundation basketball tournament. The courts were filled with players — some just about to break onto the high school scene, others now past that, playing in college and elsewhere.
The players came from throughout Pennsylvania — Williamsport, Lebanon, Allentown, Carlisle and Reading, of course — but they had a couple things in common.
They were all wearing shirts that said "Lonnie Walker IV Foundation" on the front and "Peace > Violence" on the back.
And they were there in large part to see Walker, as were hundreds of other spectators. The San Antonio Spurs' third-year guard barely had gotten out of his car before he was engulfed by fans. He spent the better part of the afternoon autographing shirts and sneakers, providing hugs and brightening the day with his trademark smile.
"I didn't expect it to be like this," Walker said of the crowd, which ringed both courts and often spilled onto them as people lined up to get photos with Reading High's all-time scoring leader. "I'm loving it. I'm happy that everyone's having just as much of a good time as I am."
Because of COVID-19 restrictions and a busy professional schedule, Walker hadn't been able to make an extended visit to Reading since 2019, when he hosted his first youth camp at the Geigle.
He was unable to hold that last summer and again this year because of COVID concerns, but said he plans to resume it again in the future.
He put together this tournament, which continues Sunday from 11-4, as a replacement.
Word spread quickly; 16 teams signed up to compete.
"I just want my people to have a good time," Walker said. "Everyone that's part of the Reading community, part of Berks County, I do this for them. I just hope they take as much out of it as I do.
"Being back home it's always a revelation. I just enjoy (reliving) all those old school memories, laughs and giggles, (seeing) and all my old friends from high school, from middle school ... I just met a couple of my teachers from elementary school. This is definitely a thrill I'll never forget."
