Deer Park grad Nathan Walkup grabs second-straight double-double in Aggies victory

Deer Park High School graduate Nathan Walkup got his second-consecutive double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds as the No. 24 Texas A&M Aggies used a big first-half run to top Wagner 86-51 on Tuesday night.

The senior recorded the second double-double of his career, the second in as many games (15 points and 12 rebounds versus Arkansas on Saturday). Walkup told the Associated Press, "I was going for a triple-double, but I didn't turn the ball over enough. I was just being aggressive and being active."

"We were bigger and stronger than they were, so we should have out-rebounded them. We played pretty good defense, so we had a lot more defensive rebounds than they did. I think when you rebound well, it gives you a good chance of winning the game, and we did that tonight."

Head Coach Mark Turgeon also spoke about the red-hot Walkup. "He was trying for a triple. He's a tremendous rebounder for his size; he's about 6 foot, 5 inches, and he'll say he's about 6 foot, 7 inches. He scored in traffic and made some nice plays."

Walkup is third on the team in scoring at 10.4 points per game and first in rebounding, grabbing six boards a game.

Walkup was a member of Team USA at the 2007 Global Games in Dallas. He earned all-state and all-region honors after averaging 22.9 points and 9.2 rebounds as a senior. Walkup rated as the seventh-best prospect in Texas and the best small forward by Rivals.com.

He was a two-time all-district, all-region and all-state pick, and a two-time district MVP. He was tabbed for the second-team All-Greater Houston squad by the Houston Chronicle. Walkup averaged 21.2 points and 9.9 rebounds as a junior, and he averaged a double-double in district play with 22.3 points and 10.8 rebounds.

Walkup scored 2,134 career points, second-most in school history, and also was recruited by Memphis, Wichita State, Rice, Texas, LSU, Miami and Stanford.

Walkup is the son of Raymond and Lisa Walkup of Pasadena, and was born Oct. 20, 1988, in Houston.

See Nathan Walkup's Athlete Tracker page