Derrick Walton

Derrick Walton Jr. was born in 1995 in Detroit. He is the son of Angela and Derrick Walton Sr. Derrick Jr. played his high school ball at Chandler Park Academy in Harper Woods, Michigan. At Chandler Park, Derrick Jr. played for his father, who was the head coach. On Jan. 31, 2012, Walton, a junior at the time, produced a quadruple-double during a win over Cesar Chavez Academy. During the summer of 2011, before his junior season, Walton verbally committed to the University of Michigan. As a Wolverine, Walton would be able to stay near his friends and family. After his senior year, Walton was named a 2013 Parade All-American honoree and the Michigan Boys Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year. At Michigan, Walton wore the number 10 to honor his close friend Dorian Dawkins, who passed away in 2009 after collapsing at a basketball game. Derrick Walton played from 2013 through 2017 at his home state school, the University of Michigan. Entering his freshman season, Sports Illustrated named him the ninth-best freshman. That year, he started 36 of 37 games for the Wolverines and averaged 27 minutes per contest. He helped Michigan win the Big Ten Championship and reach the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. As a sophomore, he started the first 19 games before a left foot injury forced him to miss roughly the latter half of the season. He returned for his junior (2015-16) and started 33 games, missing three contests due to an ankle injury. On Dec. 19 he registered a triple-double versus Youngstown State. As a junior, Walton averaged 11.6 points, 4.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game. As a senior, Walton started all 38 games for the Maize and Blue. That year, he guided Michigan to a Big Ten Tournament championship and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16.