Behind ER’s star players, Stalker sets the tone

RAMSEUR — There has to be more than one player wearing jersey No. 5 on the Eastern Randolph High School boys basketball team. That can be the only explanation after watching the Wildcats this season.

There’s No. 5 fighting his way through taller opponents to grab a rebound. Wait, there’s No. 5 taking a charge. Was that No. 5 diving on the floor for that loose ball? You bet. 

Who set that screen to free a Wildcat player for an easy basket? Oh, it was No. 5. Who was the player streaking down the floor to tip the ball away from a speedy point guard? Should have known. It was No. 5.

No. 5 is senior Will Stalker and Stalker knows only one way to play and that’s with everything he has every time he steps on the floor. His statistics might not be as gaudy those of Timmy Brower, Julian Brooks or Cameron Jones, but his worth to the team is just as important as a Brower jumper, a kiss off the glass for a basket from Brooks or a long three-pointer from Jones.

“A lot of people sum the game of basketball up as stats and don't quite understand what it takes to play basketball,” ER coach Johnny Thomas said. “I tell my guys before you play basketball, you have to know how to play basketball. 

“With Will, he gets out there and does a lot of our dirty stuff. He hustles, he rebounds, he’s getting his hands on balls, he’s disrupting the other teams’ guys from scoring. He’s doing a lot of the intangible things we need for us to be successful. When you don't have guys like him, it’s hard to win basketball games.”

Stalker was one of the main reasons the Wildcats took an 18-8 record into Tuesday night’s third-round 1-A state tournament game at South Stokes (26-2).  

Stalker carries the same intensity in every sport he plays. He’s a four-year varsity performer in football in a program that did not lose a conference game in four years. He’s a four-year player on the varsity basketball team, advancing to the state championship game as a sophomore. This spring will mark the fourth year he’s put on a varsity baseball jersey as he was a member of the 2023 team that went to the regional championship series.

Whatever sport, whatever field, there’s little doubt who's providing the Wildcats with the all-important extra effort and energy. That’s certainly been the case this basketball season.

“I was cut from the middle school basketball year my sixth- and seventh-grade year,” Stalker said. “I started working out with Johnny and joined his AAU team. Those players were absolutely great, 1,000-point scorers in high school, and the only way I could make a significant impact was with hustle and rebounds and giving it my all on defense and try and inspire those around me to play harder.”

Stalker was one of the first off the bench in the Wildcats’ run to the state title game and then provided that same jolt for his team as a starter his junior year. This year, he’s asked to provide not only a spark every time he hits the floor, but scoring as well. He’s always provided the rebounding and defense.

“As a senior, you have to start the game that way, I am expected to have that throughout the entire game,” he said of his aggressive style. “As a senior, now I have to do more to help the team no matter what that is.”

Thomas said he preaches to his kids how they have to first understand why they are playing basketball. Once they understand what their why is, a player can apply himself in that direction.

“Will knows exactly why he’s out there,” Thomas said. “He knows what his goals are. He knows what he has to bring for us to win games. It’s not always stats you can see. You have to look at what he brings outside the numbers. That is the essence of what Will does.”

As Stalker’s prep career winds down, he said he hopes he has shown the younger players how important it is to realize that time is short when it comes to high school athletic careers and they should relish every season, every game, every minute.

“Trying to show the younger kids that this goes fast,” said Stalker, who said he plans on playing college football next season. “Don’t let up and give it everything you have. It goes fast.”

Stalker said he has plenty of great memories during his prep career, but two that stand out are rallying from a 21-point halftime deficit to defeat Bishop McGuinness in the Western Regional championship his sophomore year and in a 2022 football playoff game against Robbinsville when he made two critical plays, including sacking the quarterback on the final play of the game, to secure a 29-26 win.

“The feeling of lifting my arms up in the air is a feeling I will never forget,” he said. “I’m so proud to be on the teams that won. I’ll look back on these years and have great memories.”

And Eastern Randolph fans will look back and have great memories of Stalker.