BERKELEY – The California women's basketball team has added graduate transfer Sakima Walker to its roster for the 2025-26 season, Cal head coach Charmin Smith announced Monday.
Walker, a 6-foot-5 center from Columbus, Ohio, is transferring to Cal from the University of South Carolina, where she spent the previous two seasons (2023-25).
“First and foremost, Sakima knows what a winning culture looks like,” Smith said. “She is a leader who will add a veteran presence to our extremely hungry group. Her size and versatility give us a dominant force on both ends of the floor. Her length will provide us with rim protection and make it difficult for opposing teams in the paint. She brings a lot of experience to the center position and will be ready to help us on day one.”
Walker appeared in 15 games as a senior with the Gamecocks this past season, which included a run to the NCAA Tournament title game. In 2023-24, Walker appeared in 31 games with one start and was a regular part of the rotation that helped the Gamecocks go undefeated and win the NCAA Championship. She scored double figures in two games, including 10 points against Clemson, and also had a career-high three blocks against Alabama, during the undefeated 2023-24 season.
Prior to South Carolina, Walker spent the 2022-23 season at Northwest Florida where she was named the NJCAA DI Player of the Year after averaging 16.7 points and 8.2 rebounds, scoring 20-plus points 10 times and posting 13 double-doubles in 32 games. She also led Northwest Florida State to the 2023 NJCAA National Championship in her lone season with the Raiders, earning Tournament MVP honors with 19.1 points and 8.7 rebounds per game over the seven-game event.
Walker started her collegiate career at Rutgers, appearing in 32 games with two starts and averaged 4.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game over two seasons (2020-21, 2021-22). She scored in double-figures four times, had a season-high 13 points against Wagner and grabbed a season-high seven rebounds against Delaware State in 2021-22.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to join Cal,” Walker said. “From the moment I stepped on campus, I felt the belief that Charmin and her staff have in me and my game, and that means everything. I believe in their vision for this program, and I’m excited to get to work and help Cal women’s basketball reach new heights.”
Walker was ranked the No. 7 post player in the Class of 2020 out of Africentric Early College and earned Player of the Year honors from Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association and District 10 Basketball Coaches Association as a senior. She won consecutive Division III Ohio State Championship titles with Africentric Early College, including a perfect 28-0 season in 2018-19. USA Today ranked the Nubians No. 4 in the country with Walker at the center of the frontcourt. Other accolades include being a three-time First Team All-City selection, Division Player of the Year, First Team All-District, Most Improved (2018-19), First Team All-State and First Team All-Metro honors.
