Athletics / Teams / Mens Basketball / Coaching Staff /
Head Coach - Tim Walker
Office: 330-471-8296
Tim Walker completed his first season as the head coach of the Malone University men's basketball team in 2009-2010. Walker replaced interim head coach Henry Cobb, who filled in for longtime head coach Hal Smith during the 2008-09 season.
Although the Pioneers returned only four players from a year ago, Walker helped the squad overcome a tough 4-12 start to finish its 2009-2010 campaign with a 13-16 overall mark and earn a berth in the American Mideast Conference Postseason Tournament. Prior to taking over the reins of the Malone program last spring, Walker spent seven seasons as head coach at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois (located about 20 miles southwest of downtown Chicago).
Walker experienced plenty of success during his time at Trinity as he led the Trolls to their first NAIA national tournament appearance in school history following the 2004-2005 season 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 2007-08, Trinity posted a record of 23-13 which was only the second 20-win season in the 36-year history of the program. Another outstanding year followed in 2008-2009 as 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, losing 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 mark in seven seasons at Trinity was 111-108 with a CCAC record of 47-31.
Walker graduated from Cedarville University 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 upon being hired. “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.”