A TRUE captain’s performance from Nash Walker has seen the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence (BA CoE) advance to the NBL1 East Men’s preliminary final, after defeating the Norths Bears by nine points over the weekend.

Following a shock loss at the hands of the Canberra Gunners in the first week of the postseason, the CoE were forced into the semi-finals as their path to the championship was given an extra stop, with the young guns looking to bounce back and getting home court advantage at the AIS on Saturday afternoon. On the other hand, the Bears had won their elimination final against the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, and had some solid form coming in.

A red-hot start to the match put the CoE in the box seat at the first change, leading by nine points at quarter time in a crucial patch of play. Although the Bears tried to claw their way back into the contest, they simply could not make up the ground they lost in the first 10 minutes, and ended up falling by nine points.

Walker was simply inspirational for the CoE in their elimination win, putting his team on his back on the scoring front and putting up a match-defining performance to keep his side in the hunt for the championship.

Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence (97) def. Norths Bears (88)

Nash Walker – 33 points, three rebounds, two assists

It was a team-lifting performance from Walker, who accounted for over a third of his team’s total score in an immense offensive performance, and one that has proven crucial in the CoE’s hunt for the title.

The Centre of Excellence captain kicked off his match with a nice dime to find James Dyson Merwe, who sank the midrange jumper as a result of being put in such a strong position by Walker. He then got involved on the scoring front himself with his first three-pointer of the contest, before backing it up with a second a minute later, and it was Alexander Dickenson who delivered the dime on both occasions.

Walker then used his smarts to draw contact on a long-range attempt, nailing two of his three attempts from the charity stripe, while a second trip to the free throw line occurred not long after. With nine points to his name after the first 10 minutes of play, Walker was crucial in getting the CoE off to the perfect start.

He picked up exactly where he left off in the second quarter, forcing the defence to foul him on a shot attempt and converting both shots at the charity stripe. Walker then combined with Dickenson once again for his third triple of the match, before nailing his fourth shortly after, and suddenly, his long-range shooting was becoming a real factor in the contest as the skipper led his side to an 11-point buffer at the main change.

With the Bears making a charge early in the second half, Walker was able to steady the ship by pulling up for a deep triple to push the margin back out to eight points in a crucial make. Norths kept pushing throughout the third term, drawing within four points late in the piece, before the CoE skipper struck again from long range to give his team some vital breathing space heading into the last.

To open his account in the fourth quarter, Walker had a rare made shot from inside the arc, using footwork to create separation from his opponent before nailing the jumper. Despite this make, the Bears were still within striking distance, before Walker slammed the door shut with a pair of three-pointers to push the margin back out, while another pair of free throws capped off a match-winning performance from the captain.

He finished the contest with 33 points, largely due to his eight made triples on 16 attempts, while Walker also shot 7/9 from the charity stripe in a composed performance. He has shown that he is integral to their title hopes for 2025, and has the ability to tear a final to bits.