The opening of the highly anticipated 2024-25 University of Arkansas at Little Rock men’s basketball season isn’t the only buzz around the Jack Stephens Center this week. Trojans Director of Athletics Frank Cuervo announced the program has agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension with head coach Darrell Walker. This extension is pending approval by the Board of Trustees.
“I am excited about the season at hand and the future of Trojan Basketball under the leadership of Darrell Walker,” Cuervo said. “I look forward to working closely with Coach Walker to realize the type of success we all want to achieve, both on and off the court.
The Trojans shared the 2023-24 OVC title with Morehead State and Tennessee-Martin and finished the year with a 21-13 record. Little Rock also advanced to the finals of the OVC Tournament. As a result, Walker was named the 2023-24 OVC Coach of the Year and earned All-District Coach of the Year honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
In October, OVC coaches and communications directors voted Little Rock to win the league title again this season. The Trojans totaled 20 of 22 first-place votes.
“We are continuing to build something special here,” said Walker, who is entering his seventh season at Little Rock. “Arkansas is home for me, and I am happy to be here and want to be here as we move forward to continue the process of establishing a winning program. I appreciate Little Rock Chancellor Christina Drale and Director of Athletics Frank Cuervo for their support.”
Walker, a 10-year NBA veteran and a member of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, guided the Trojans to one of the biggest turnarounds in the country in his second season at Little Rock in 2019-20. After being picked to finish 11th in the Sun Belt Conference preseason poll, Walker guided the Trojans to the outright Sun Belt Conference regular-season title with a 21-10 record, including a 15-5 mark in SBC play. The turnaround garnered Walker Sun Belt Coach of the Year honors, becoming just the fourth Trojan head coach to earn that accolade.
Walker is the only active coach to serve stints as a head coach in the NBA, WNBA, and at the NCAA Division I and Division II levels.
