Walton, Harold

Harold Walton – (2007)

 

Harold Walton is arguably one of the finer athletes to have graced the hallways and basketball court at Admiral King High School and Kent State University. Mitch Gillam, his coach at Admiral King once was quoted as saying, “I’ll tell you what, let ’em keep fouling Harold when the game is on the line and see how many he makes”. If my life were on the line, I’d want him there. At Admiral King he was a major contributor to three of the most successful basketball teams in the history of Lorain sports.

As a sophomore, Harold helped the King team advance to the state tournament and the final four in Columbus. As a junior, he helped the team reach the regional tournament. His most memorable high school accomplishments occurred during his senior year, as the 1987-88 team became the first Lorain City School to complete a perfect regular season with a 20-0 record. The team was ranked 13th in the nation by USA Today and reached the State Final Four before ending the season at 25-1 with the best record in Admiral King history. During his senior year, he shot 52% from the field, 72% from the foul line and averaged 19.5 points per game.

Some of his high school basketball honors were three varsity basketball letters, 1st Team All Ohio 1988, Erie Shore Player of the Year 1988, selected as Lorain County Mr. Basketball, McDonald’s All-American mention, participated in the Ohio North-South All Star game, as well as the Ohio vs. Michigan All Star game and was the MVP of the Lorain County All Star game. In addition to all of the above honors, he was also a member of the Scholastic National Honor Society.

Harold was recruited by numerous colleges and selected Kent State University. At that time he stated, “I am going to college to get an education.” At Kent he was a four-year varsity starter while maintaining a 3 plus G.P.A. During his freshman season he was selected as the Mid-American Conference Freshman Player of the Year. During his sophomore season he earned a place on the All Mid American Conference Team. Unfortunately, he suffered a severe thigh injury that hampered the play of his junior and senior seasons. He was the third Kent State player to score 1000 points by his junior year.

At the time of his graduation from Kent State his statistics were as follows:
• 7th All Time Leading Scorer (1,232 points)
• 3rd All Time Leader in Assists (342 assists)
• 2nd All Time Leader in Steals (177 steals)
• 3rd All Time Leader in Games Started (99 games)

Harold was invited to tryout at a few NBA camps, but chose to complete his degree in finance. He is presently a supervisor of Corporate Projects for State Farm Insurance Co. He is married to Stacie and resides in Oberlin with their two children Isaiah and Haley.

*WELCOME, HAROLD WALTON,*
*INTO THE LORAIN SPORTS HALL OF FAME*