Pleasant Grove basketball: Walker Bischoff profile

In late March, I interviewed Pleasant Grove senior Walker Bischoff. He was a really intelligent guy who didn't talk much, but had a deep voice. Here is the article that will appear in the PG 2011-12 boys basketball yearbook.

Walker Bischoff:

Despite limited playing time, he made

the most of his high-school experience

By Bruce Smith
Matchup

            A couple weeks after the Pleasant Grove boys basketball season ended, Walker Bischoff was the only player still being appreciated for his efforts.

            On March 3, he earned the right to stand near midcourt at the Maverik Center in West Valley City during the championship game. The Vikings’ 4-17 record wasn’t the reason; it was all that he had learned.
            “That was the highlight of my year,” he said. “It was cool to be out there (on the court).”
            During his high-school career, Bischoff earned outstanding grades and on that day joined nine other 5A basketball players named to the all-academic team. He admitted his season didn’t go like he had hoped, but it certainly ended well.
            “I didn’t play as much as I would have liked,” he said. “They were rotating four guys on two positions and I was one of them.”
            Bischoff played on the Pleasant Grove golf team as a freshman and sophomore, but academics were his primary passion. He also enjoyed basketball, however, but coming into this season, not much was expected. Bischoff was one of seven seniors, but only center Alan Hamson had any significant varsity experience.
            Bischoff, however, did play a lot on last year’s junior varsity team and brought something special to this year’s club. Coach Randy McAllister recognized that he was one of the team’s smartest players and, with a young team, he could be counted on to make good decisions on the floor.
            “He was really smart and did everything he could to help us,” McAllister said. “I knew that he was troubled about his playing time, but we did the best we could with the players we had.”
            Bischoff still played in each of Pleasant Grove’s 21 games. He averaged 1.4 points per game and 1.1 rebounds. When he was on the court, he made a difference. He shot a team-high 66.7 percent from the field and made 2-4 three-pointers.
            “I tried to be consistent, lead by example and keep playing hard,” Bischoff said.
            He said he had several good memories of the season, including Pleasant Grove’s road trip to California during the Christmas break. He said time off the court was mostly spent hanging out at the hotel.
            “One night, we walked to a (shopping) mall that was about two miles away,” he said. “That was fun. There weren’t too many girls; mostly old folks.”
            The trip helped the team improve its camaraderie and prepare them for the difficult Region 4 season, which featured eventual champion Lone Peak, as well as powerhouse American Fork and surprise teams like Riverton and Bingham.
            McAllister said Bischoff continued to show improvement throughout the year. Bischoff had his best-scoring efforts late in the season and was rewarded with a chance to start in Pleasant Grove’s “Senior Night” finale against American Fork.
            “I played really well and hit some big shots,” he recalled.
            Bischoff scored five points in that game. Not surprisingly, that also led to his best playing memory.
            “Markee (Jensen) got me a pass and I hit a spot-up three (pointer) that got the lead down to single digits,” he said. “It was in the fourth quarter and the game was pretty exciting at the time.”
            Bischoff said he planned to continue his academic achievements after high school. He said he planned to attend BYU and then leave on an LDS Church mission. He planned to major in accounting or business management.