PARIS, France — Stephen F. Austin State University alumnus Thomas Walkup has qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Walkup, who lead SFA to an upset victory over West Virginia in the 2016 NCAA tournament, will play on the Greece national team in the 2024 Olympic Games.
Walkup averaged 11.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assist per game in the Olympic qualifying tournament while being second on the team in minutes played.
Brad Underwood, who coached Walkup at SFA, said Walkup has come a long way from his early years in Nacogdoches.
"He was a broken down jump shooter, who was a 50 percent free throw shooter. And was a powerful forward. I tease him all the time that I have a hard time believing he was the Euro league Defensive Player of the Year. We used to try to hide him at SFA because he couldn't guard a dead man but he's come a long way," Underwood said.
Underwood, who is now the head coach at the University of Illinois, knows how big of a deal this is for Walkup and Stephen F. Austin.
"It means a lot to me that I got to coach him. It's a great honor for SFA to have somebody that is representing them in Paris and on the world stage," Underwood said. "He's doing it with the best players in the world. Giannis (Antetokounmpo) is probably that guy. He's a teammate. They just knocked out Luka. And I know there's nobody who loves their school and takes more pride in Stephen F. Austin, then Tom. Every now and then you come across greatness. Tom was that."
During his senior season at SFA, Walkup averaged 18 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.5 assist per game and won many awards including:
- Southland Conference Player of The Year (2015, 2016)
- Lou Henson Player of the Year (2016)
- Southland Conference Tournament MVP (2014, 2015, 2016)
- AP All-American Honorable Mention (2015, 2016)
In 2023, Walkup received Greek citizenship through an honorary naturalization, which allows him to play for the Greece national team.
Walkup will be playing along side NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo in the Olympic Games starting July 27. Greece, Australia, Canada and Spain are in Group A in the Paris Games.