USF’s Corey Walker Jr. suspended from team

Senior forward Corey Walker Jr. pictured playing against Memphis on Feb. 8, 2023. USF ATHLETICS PHOTO

Corey Walker Jr., USF’s longest-tenured men’s basketball player on the roster, has been suspended “for conduct detrimental to the team,” according to interim head coach Ben Fletcher. 

Walker Jr. last played against Utah State on Dec. 14 and hasn’t suited up since. He was averaging 2.0 points per game in a limited role off the bench. 

Fletcher confirmed the suspension in a press conference Tuesday, saying Walker Jr. will be away for “a little while.”

“Conduct detrimental to the team” has no set definition, but is mostly used to describe behaviors or actions that are considered harmful or distracting to the team. The term is also used by professional sports teams. 

USF Athletics spokesperson Chad Smith declined to further comment on the suspension from the team.

Walker Jr. is still listed on the men’s basketball roster and a USF spokesperson confirmed he is still enrolled at USF. 

Walker Jr. has been a fixture on the USF bench since transferring from Tennessee in 2021 – never consistently securing the starting role. He’s averaged 4.0 points and 3.7 rebounds in 89 games played. 

Related: USF men’s basketball falls to UAB in second straight conference loss

The senior forward is the only remaining player on the roster from former coach Brian Gregory’s tenure, who was fired in 2023.

In December, Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler was suspended seven games for the same reason when he publicly expressed his disinterest in playing for the Heat in a press conference. 

The same month, the San Francisco 49ers suspended linebacker De’Vondre Campbell three games for “conduct detrimental to the team” after he refused to play.

Noah Vinsky, Sports Editor

Noah Vinsky is the sports editor for The Oracle. He’s a mass communications and psychology dual-major and started writing for The Oracle in the fall of 2022. His focus is on football, men’s basketball and the on-campus stadium development. Reach him at noahjosephvinsky@usf.edu

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