Villanova in top five for elite 2017 shooting guard Lonnie Walker

Five star shooting guard Lonnie Walker, a Reading, Pennsylvania native, has long been considered one of the elite prospects in the class of 2017.

Today, Walker released his top five schools and among them was certain defending national champion Big East team. That’s right, the Villanova Wildcats might get even stronger in the near future. Walker is the 21st-ranked player and third-ranked shooting guard in the country in 247Sports’ Composite Rankings.

Jay Wright and the Wildcats are heavy favorites to land the five star guard’s commitment according to 247’s crystal ball, ahead competitors Arizona, Kentucky, Miami and Syracuse. Much has been made in the past of Walker’s connection with the staff, who have been on him from the get go and his close proximity to the school. Walker currently attends high school in Reading, PA, just about an hour from Villanova’s campus. Additionally, the rising senior plays his AAU ball for Team Final, a Philadelphia-based program that also features class of 2017 Villanova commit Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree and formerly featured 2016 Villanova commit Dylan Painter.

Walker is an uber-athletic wing who could play anywhere from the one to the three in Jay Wright’s system. A slasher, Walker thrives off the ball and attacking the rim. In his last few seasons with Reading, Head Coach Rick Perez has allowed Walker to do much more with the ball in his hands and Red Knights’ superstar has returned the favor. His ball handling is much improved and he’s slowly started to add an outside shot that could make him an elite scorer at the next level. Walker dominated recently at Nike’s Peach Jam, posting 16.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.8 steals per 247.

There’s currently no word on when Walker plans to make his final decision, but the rising senior will surely have plenty of people tuned in this winter as he looks to lead his Reading team back to the state tournament where they came so close to AAAA title last season, before falling in the semifinal to eventual runners up, Taylor Allderdice of Pittsburgh.