Tim Walker, who has been the head men’s basketball coach at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois, has been hired as the new head men’s basketball coach at Malone University, the University’s athletic director Charlie Grimes announced today.  Walker replaces interim head coach Henry Cobb, who filled in for longtime head coach Hal Smith for the 2008-09 season.

Walker, 32, recently completed his seventh season as head coach at Trinity Christian, which is located about 20 miles southwest of downtown Chicago.  In 2004-05, he led the Trolls to their first NAIA national tournament appearance in school history as the team won the program’s first-ever CCAC (Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference) tournament championship, finishing with an 18-15 record.  Walker was named the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association’s NAIA Div. II Coach of the Year for his efforts.

Then, in the 2007-08 campaign, Trinity posted a record of 23-13 which was only the second 20-win season in the 36-year history of the program.  The team finished fifth in the NCCAA national tournament. 

Last season (2008-09), Walker directed his squad to a second-straight 20-win season (third in the program’s history) at 23-9.  After earning a regular-season co-championship in the CCAC, the first in the program’s history, Trinity earned another appearance in the NAIA Div. II national tournament and lost a first-round contest to eventual quarterfinalist Indiana Wesleyan University by the score of 67-61.  The only men’s basketball coach in Trinity’s history to have a winning record, Walker’s overall record in seven seasons at Trinity is 111-108 and his CCAC mark is 47-31. 

Walker graduated from Cedarville University (OH) in 1999 with a bachelors degree in finance.  He earned his master’s of sports science in coaching at the United States Sports Academy (AL) in 2001.  Before coming to Trinity, he served as an assistant coach at Calvin College (MI), from 2000-02 during which time the program’s record was 43-11, and at Cedarville University.

“My wife and I are very excited about joining the Malone University community and leading the men’s basketball program,” commented Walker.  “We were very impressed with the people that we met during our campus visit and we look forward to building on the tradition that Coach Smith and others have helped to build at Malone.  We are also very excited to move back to Ohio but we will leave behind some great friends and outstanding young men at Trinity Christian College.  We feel very blessed to have spent the last seven years at Trinity but we are also very excited about what the future holds at Malone.  We are looking forward to getting to campus and beginning our work as soon as possible.”

Grimes was equally as excited to have Walker join the Malone athletic department.  “Tim is a great addition to the Malone coaching staff,” said Grimes.  “He brings excellent college head coaching experience, a great understanding of the sports culture in Ohio, and a deep commitment to developing men through sport.  I look forward to seeing Tim build teams that work together toward excellence both on and off the court.”

Walker was also an Assistant Professor in the Physical Education Department at Trinity.  He resides in Oak Forest, Illinois with his wife, Alison, and children, Emily, Grant and T.J.

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