Charlisse Leger-Walker has followed in her sister Krystal’s footsteps and will be attending Washington State University (WSU).
The Sky Sport Tall Ferns guard has signed her letter of intent, accepting the offer of a full-ride scholarship to attend the Pac-12 school, where she will play under coach Kamie Ethridge and go up against some of the best teams in the country.
Leger-Walker says the most important aspect of her decision was putting herself in the right environment.
“Culture to me means the people, the relationships and the vision. WSU’s culture lined up with my values, morals and what I was looking for. I was immediately intrigued by their whole dynamic.
“It’s also very exciting because WSU will be going into the season with a fresh start – with new coaches, a new vision and recruits coming in.
“I loved the idea of being able to be a part of something new, special and the history that will be made with this team. I believe in the program and the vision they have.”
The 18-year-old fielded several offers but says she didn’t seriously consider them until she’d finished her final year at school, where she was Head Prefect at St Peter’s School, Cambridge.
Her first visit to WSU was in 2018. She also took the time to visit other colleges including Columbia University and Santa Clara University.
She says it was tough to make a final decision with a several colleges offering fantastic opportunities, but ultimately, she couldn’t look past the coaching on offer at her sister’s alma mater.
“Throughout the entire recruiting process there were a lot of schools that really appealed to me, whether it was because of basketball, academia, the campus or the people. It did get a little bit overwhelming but, with the support of the people around me, I managed to focus on what was really important to me.
“I love the staff at WSU and what they have planned for the future. Coach E [Kamie Ethridge] has coached multiple USA teams and won an Olympic gold medal as a player for the USA.
“She has many accolades but what I love best about her is that she demands the best from her players and pushes them out of their comfort zones with good intention.”
Leger-Walker is wanting to study environmental science and business, with the goal of merging the two fields.
The global outbreak of COVID-19 has of course been disruptive for US colleges. However, Leger-Walker says she is regularly communicating with her future team and coaches, who have equipped her with various programs and workouts to make sure she’s ready to go when the US season resumes.
CAREER IN SHORT: Charlisse Leger-Walker
Teams: Sky Sport Tall Ferns and Waikato Wizards
Position: Guard
DOB: September 15, 2001
Height: 1.74m
Junior Association: Waikato
High School: St Peter’s School, Cambridge
Debuted for the bronze medal-winning Tall Ferns team at the 2018 Commonwealth Games where she became the youngest player ever to play for the New Zealand Tall Ferns at 16 years, 202 days.
She averaged 11.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game and was the joint top scorer with 18 points in the bronze medal game against Canada.
Was a member of the Tall Ferns team that finished runners-up at the 2019 William Jones Cup averaging 10.6ppg. Played all five games at 2019 FIBA Asia Cup in India. Played all three games at 2019 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Auckland.
Leger-Walker has played a considerable amount of age-group international basketball. In 2019 she was named to the Tournament Team at the FIBA 3×3 U18 World Cup in Mongolia where the New Zealand Team claimed silver.
She has also won multiple New Zealand junior titles with both St Peter’s School, Cambridge and Waikato Basketball. Remarkably she appeared in the Grand Final at Schick School Nationals in all five years in high school winning the championship on four occasions.
In 2019 she averaged 29 points per game to help the Waikato Wizards to a third-place finish in WBC Division 1.
Mother Leanne attended the 1990 and 1994 Olympics with the Tall Ferns and sister Krystal has also represented the Tall Ferns.
