1. A Smooth Transition
Moravian Collegehires alumnusto continuemen’sbasketball success
Andrew Mengel
When a basketball program loses their coach to retirement after 36 straight seasons,
a transition year is usually what follows. However, with the hire of alumnus Justin
Potts, Moravian College looks to transition to a championship contending team,
instead of a rebuilding one.
After an accumulated 442-440 coaching record, Jim Walker has decided to retired
from his head coaching position at Moravian College. His career in coaching started
at Drew University from 1978-79, following a move to Bethlehem to coach the
Greyhounds. Walker led Moravian College to two NCAA Tournament bids, including
one in the 2007-08 season. He also guided the Greyhounds to 10 conference playoff
appearances and sic of his teams earned national rankings.
Aside for Walker’s success on the court, he also implemented community service to
his team off the court. “I’ve always felt our efforts in community service have been
something I’m proud of. I started with it as soon as I got to Moravian and continued
through all 36 years. On-campus community service to Burnside Plantation, The
Boys and Girls Club and the last 10 years we’ve been involved with the cops and kids
organizations,” said Walker.
Through his 36 years at The College, Walker says he doesn’t have any regrets,
“Coaching involved long hours and a lot of challenges, but it never really felt like
work,” said Walker. His passion for the game and for Moravian College triumphed
over all the hardships he experienced through his tenure.
Now in retirement, the future for Coach Walker is dynamic, as he’s considering
assistant coaching at a higher level or even trying out sports journalism. But first, in
the near future he will travel for 10 days to Costa Rica, where he will consider a job
to coordinate travel and guide international teams through summer basketball tours
in the Caribbean country.
Now Moravian College will turn to Justin Potts, a 2000 Moravian graduate, who first
got his coaching experience as an assistant coach with Coach Walker. He then
headed to East Stroudsburg University in the 2002-03 season, becoming the
assistant coach there.
Potts now returns to his alma mater for his first head-coaching job, and has a lot of
enthusiasm, “I am going to bring a lot of energy & passion to the program…We are
going to play 94 feet…We will run and press for 40 minutes which will be a very
distinct style and one that I believe will be an advantage for us,” said Potts.

2. With the departure of Coach Walker, it seems that there would be some large shoes
to fill, as Walker has been the face of the men’s basketball program. Potts doesn’t
look at it that way, “I don’t see it as stepping into his shoes I see it as a new pair of
shoes on the sidelines…I need to be Justin Potts and concentrate on impacting the
young men that I coach on a daily basis. I will work relentlessly to elevate the
program.”
The men’s basketball team finished 5-20 last year, and struggled in conference play,
going 3-13. “I believe the greatest obstacle is getting the guys to understand that it is
a process…We need to work daily to get better and elevate the program…If we can
all buy into that we will be on the right path to achieving success,” said Potts.
Potts is in a familiar atmosphere in order to achieve that success on the court. “It is
great to be back at Moravian…I have a lot of great memories from my time here as
student-athlete and a coach. You always hope to have the chance to go home and
coach where you once played.”
Now that the team is in the hands of another Greyhound, the team’s future is looking
up, and the coach can sense that, “We are going to concentrate on competing and
getting better daily…Our guys will learn to play the style with passion and learn to
sacrifice for each other…If we do those things day in and day out we will be moving
in the right direction.”