After winning a conference championship in basketball and making an NCAA appearance, Mike Walley joined his College of New Jersey baseball teammates for the spring trip to Florida. What a way to cap off a great two-sport athletic career. Then Covid struck and Walley’s dreams of another championship and NCAA run in baseball were dashed as the season was cancelled.
“It went from an all-time high to basically in just a matter of days to my athletic career being over,’’ recalled Walley, of the spring of 2020. “I knew I wasn’t going to use my fifth year and I had this feeling of emptiness.’’ Walley, a sharpshooter in basketball, had a career senior season with 56 3-pointers and.
averaged 7.2 points per game as the Lions went 20-9. He was looking forward to his senior baseball season coming off a 6-0 junior campaign on the mound.
He ended with an 11-2 record in his three years. “I knew I still wanted to be involved in the game and be around the game,’’ declared Walley, who played at Notre Dame prior to TCNJ. “My grandfather always wanted me to get my MBA and I thought no way was I going back to school.
’’ When the opportunity came to be a grad assistant at St. Joseph’ s, the MBA didn’t look so bad. “When that opportunity presented itself I figured I could still be around basketball and see what this coaching world is like and also pursuing another degree,’’ said Walley.
“I looked at it as two birds one stone type deal. As I got into it I reali.