Developing and maintaining confidence can be one of the toughest challenges an athlete faces. For junior forward Jasmine Walker, it took one person encouraging her to set her sights high and  pursue her dreams, that person was her mom, Charlotte Savage.

Walker grew up in Montgomery, Alabama, and began playing basketball in the seventh grade. Since then, her mom has always been her biggest fan and most stable support system. As a result, Walker’s confidence in her game grew. In 2016, Walker was a nominee to the McDonald’s All-American Game and was the Gatorade Player of the Year for Alabama.

“I didn’t really take it seriously until I saw that I was good at it,” Walker said. “In high school, I kind of saw that college coaches were looking at me so I said, ‘Hey, mom, I want to go to college to play ball,’ and she told me if that is what I want to do then I should pursue my dreams.”

When it came time for the the former five-star recruit to decide where she wanted to continue her basketball career, she left Alabama and signed with Florida State. During her time at Florida State, Walker struggled with being away from her support system. Her 19.6 points per game average in high school, plummeted to just 4.6 during in her first season as a Seminole. After five games, Walker decided it was time to go back to her roots as she transferred to the University of Alabama in 2017.

“It’s close to home and it is better for my mom to come see me,” Walker said. “That is my number one in my life, so I feel like it’s better for me and her and it’s easier to see each other more often.”

Being closer to home has allowed Walker to realize some of her other dreams. Before even getting to college, Walker decided that one day she wants to play in the WNBA. She knows she has a lot she still has to learn, so every day she works harder and harder to pursue that goal.

One of the biggest areas of growth her coach Kristy Curry has noticed is her strength and the healthy lifestyle Walker has made for herself.

“It’s just her toughness, playing the next play, letting go of what happened good or bad and I’m really proud of her for that,” Curry said. “Another key aspect is that she’s in the best shape of her life, in her conditioning and in her physical growth. It has really given her a lot of confidence.”

Since coming back to Alabama, Walker’s confidence has skyrocketed. During her freshman year, she played in 24 games and led the team in rebounds and free throws. As a sophomore, she led the team in rebounds again and finished the season third on the team in points per game with 12.4.

Now, in her junior season, Walker is on pace to post some of her best numbers of her career. Through 20 games, she is second on the team in points per game, averaging 11.7. She also leads the team in rebounding as she averages 6.9 rebounds per game. She remains focused on the work she has to do in order to achieve her goals and make her mom, coaches and teammates proud.

“Me, personally, I think it’s all about understanding the little things, as far as my work ethic, my body, and nutrition,” Walker said. “I still have a lot to learn, but I am working on it.”