Ben Walker has been hired as an assistant coach for the Milwaukee men’s basketball team, head coach Bart Lundy announced today.
“We would like to welcome Ben Walker and his family to our basketball family here at Milwaukee,” Lundy said. “Ben is a Milwaukee native that has proven himself to be a high-level coach. Ben was a hall-of-fame player at Creighton and went on to a successful pro career after college. That experience and the knowledge gained will be invaluable for our players.”
Walker most recently was at Tennessee State, serving as an assistant coach from 2018-2022. The veteran coach, who is originally from the Milwaukee area, brings over 20 years of experience at the NCAA Division I and junior college levels to the Panther bench.
“I am very excited to be back home,” Walker said. “For me to leave a situation I was really happy at in Nashville, it had to be another special place. And home is special. When you can go home and help young men that looked like you growing up, be around the game, work in the building you played open gym at in high school – it’s home and it’s family to me.”
“Ben will also be an exceptional role model for our guys off the floor,” Lundy said. “He will help us continue to grow the program on and off the court.”
Prior to his time with the Tigers, Walker spent two seasons at South Dakota State, helping guide the Jackrabbits to back-to-back Summit League Tournament Championships. In addition to making two NCAA Tournament appearances, SDSU also claimed the 2017-18 Summit League regular-season championship.
“Coach Lundy sold me on winning and wanting guys around him that win,” Walker said. “He believes we can win right away and that was an easy sell for me.”
The program went 46-24 overall and Walker worked closely with the development of two-time Summit League Player of the Year and Associated Press All-American Mike Daum.
Prior to his time at South Dakota State, Walker served as an assistant coach at Jackson State during the 2015-16 season, seeing the Tigers go 20-16 and qualify for the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
His junior college stops included a pair of successful programs, winning conference titles and making national tournament appearances at both Des Moines Area Community College in Iowa and Butler Community College in Kansas.
A 2001 graduate and standout player at Creighton (1997-01), he helped the Bluejays to an overall mark of 87-37 in his time on the court, advancing to the postseason every year. A four-year starter, he played in 124 career games, finishing his career in the top 10 in Creighton history for steals and rebounds. Walker earned Missouri Valley All-Defensive Team honors and helped the Bluejays reach the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and three straight NCAA Tournaments and was inducted into the Creighton University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010.
His professional career included overseas stops in Qatar, Latvia, Australia and Norway. In Latvia, he was an All-Star selection and Most Valuable Player in 2005. Walker also suited up for the Sioux Falls Skyforce and Gary Steelheads of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and had tryouts with the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Walker and his wife Jana have one daughter, London, and sons Ben Jr. and Kobe.
Lundy Rounds Out Coaching Staff With Ben Walker
