Coach Kasey Walkenhurst: - MatchupUT.com

Coach Kasey
Walkenhurst:
He may be young, but his experience
at West Jordan was second-to-none
By Bruce Smith
Matchup
WOODS CROSS BASKETBALL: Coach profile
Don’t let Kasey Walkenhurst’s age scare you.
The Woods Cross administration didn’t.
Walkenhurst is just 27 years old. Like others
in his age group, he is Internet-savvy, he can text and
play video games. But he’s also qualified to be a
head coach because he had a good head start.
“I started coaching at West Jordan the year
after I left high school,” he said.
Walkenhurst played for Scott Briggs, who is
among the most respected prep basketball coaches
in Utah. He made the varsity as a senior and became
a two-year starter at guard, averaging 9.8 points per
game.
If you think he looks young now, think about
when he started helping West Jordan’s sophomore
program in 2005. Since then, he has accomplished a
lot.
He earned his Bachelors degree at Weber
State, and put a lot of miles on his car driving back
and forth. He was part of the staff on the Jaguars’
teams that made it to the state championship game
in 2005 and won it in 2009.
He also became a teacher there, and helped
with the Jaguars’ golf and tennis teams.
“I knew I wanted to teach and coach when I
was in seventh grade,” he said. “I remember how
much my seventh grade English teacher enjoyed it.”
Walkenhurst also had a special relationship
with Briggs, having grown up in the same
neighborhood as the West Jordan coach. At first, it
seemed odd to play for him, but it has resulted in
plenty of advantages.
And now it has helped Walkenhurst earn his
first head coaching job.
“I felt I had learned as much as I could from
Kasey Walkenhurst knew he wanted to be a teacher/coach
starting the seventh grade, and now he’s living the dream.
Kasey Walkenhurst
* - BORN IN MURRAY and raised in West Jordan.
He graduated from WJHS in 2004.
* - BACHELORS IN P.E. and history from Weber
State. He coached at WJHS while going to school.
* - WOODS CROSS job is his first as head coach.
He had been head soph coach at WJHS for five years.
* - GOT MARRIED in 2011. He and his wife, Devyn,
have no children yet, but one dog.
Scott,” Walkenhurst said. “Having him as a reference
was all I needed.”
Woods Cross athletic director Rick Winder
said Walkenhurst was chosen for his spark, and that
he “showed he has great leadership and ideas that
the team will need.”
“The most impressive thing about him was
his interviews,” Winder told the Davis County
Clipper. “He just showed that he has an amazing
mind for the game, and we heard a lot of great
things about him before he came in.”
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WOODS CROSS BASKETBALL: Coach profile
Continued from previous page
TOP LEFT: Kasey Walkenhurst intently watches a game
last year on the West Jordan bench with his fellow
coaches.
TOP RIGHT: Walkenhurst poses for a photo with his
wife, Devyn.
Walkenhurst also had other attributes. For instance, at West
Jordan, he had always been a winner. The Jaguars’ varsity program
hasn’t had a losing season this century. While Walkenhurst was
considered a shooter, he said he learned other valuable tools that result
in wins.
“We stress fundamentals and play good man-to-man defense,”
he said. “It’s nice to have talent, but you also need to play tough and
have good team chemistry. They are all equally important.”
That was evident last year when West Jordan had one of the
most talented teams ever put together – featuring Division I prospects
Jaden Jackson, Jordan Pryor and Jordan Loveridge. The Jaguars were a
hot topic of conversation even before the season started and endured
occasional off-the-court issues.
They handily won their region before falling to eventual
champion Lone Peak in the semifinals.
Woods Cross has become the next chapter in Walkenhurst’s life.
Besides heading the boys basketball program, he also teaches physical
education (Fit for Life) and a financial literacy class. The big change in the
last year also involved getting married to his wife, Devyn (they met at
Weber State).
If his first few months here are any indication, Walkenhurst has
plenty of ideas to implement at Woods Cross, which already had an
impressive boys basketball history. Winning should be the result.
Coach Walkenhurst
Family: Devyn - wife
Favorite School Subject: Lunch
Hobbies: Playing golf
My Best Non-Athletic Talent:
Texting
Music I Like: 80’s Rock
Person I Admire: Duke University
basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski
Favorite Movies: The Hangover,
Hoosiers
I Would Love To Meet: NBA player
Kirk Hinrich
Favorite Book: Beyond Basketball
Nobody Would Believe I Watch: The
OC
One Thing I Wish I Were Better At:
Saving money
Favorite Food: Café Rio chicken
salad
Highlight Of Last Summer: Getting a
job at WX
My Future Goals Include: Having
kids
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