By Lee Strawther
The Sporting Tribune
The John R. Wooden Award will celebrate it’s 50th anniversary this season. Leading up to the award ceremony on April 10, 2026, The Sporting Tribune in partnership with the Wooden Award and the Los Angeles Athletic Club will highlight past winners of the Wooden Award and the Legends of Coaching Award.
Long before Paul Pierce adopted the nickname “The Truth”, a young man was making a name for himself on the playgrounds of Harlem in the late 1970s to early ‘80 when that moniker was given to him out of respect. He would go on to become a college legend in his home state, and have one of the most unconventional basketball careers in memory.
Walter Berry was born on May 14, 1964 in New York City and became a Harlem legend even before his days as a college player. He was well-known throughout the city for leading Benjamin Franklin High School to the 1982 PSAL Championship where he scored 21 points, grabbed 22 rebounds, and blocked seven shots in the title game.
The 6-8 forward committed to St. John’s University following high school but he had to endure a complicated two year journey before he was able to attend there.Surprisingly Berry would drop out of high school in 1983 after it was discovered that he lacked the necessary credits to graduate after his credits did not transfer over from two New York high schools he had previously attended. He would go on to earn a GED through a program at St. John’s, however the NCAA ruled him ineligible as that GED was also not nationally accredited.With all of the uncertainty surrounding his eligibility, Berry opted to begin his college career at well-known San Jacinto (TX) Junior College. He averaged 28.9 points and 14 rebounds per game, while shooting 67 percent from the field, and was named the National Junior College Player of the Year.
Recruited by every major college program imaginable, Berry remained loyal to St. John’s, and joined the then-Redmen (now the Red Storm) in the fall of 1984.
“A kid of Walter’s ability might be ashamed to go this route,” St. John’s assistant coach Ron Rutledge said during Berry’s recruitment. “He told me, ‘Ron, I don’t belong here.’ But this is the best route he can go because it’s teaching him some discipline. Of course, it’s the only route he has left.”Berry’s impact was immediately felt. A Second Team All-Big East selection, Berry was the team’s second leading scorer that season (17 ppg) and helped St. John’s advance to its first Final Four in 31 years.The 1985-86 team finally became Berry’s to lead and he proved he was worthy of it. He led the Redmen with 23 points and 11.1 rebounds per game as they ended the regular season with a 27-4 record, ranked No. 5 in the country, and the top seed in the Big East Tournament. His 828 points that season remains the most in program history. He went 62-9 in his two season there.As a senior, Berry was the recipient of the revered John R. Wooden Award, given by the Los Angeles Athletic Club to the nation’s top collegiate player. He was also awarded the Adolph R. Rupp Trophy, given to the player of the year in college basketball by the Associated Press, the Kodak Player of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, UPI Player of the Year, The Sporting News
Player of the Year, Basketball Weekly Player of the Year, CBS/Chevrolet Player of the Year and the Big East Player of the Year.
He became only the fourth player in St. John’s history to reach the 1,000-point mark in two seasons, and was drafted by the Portland Trailblazers with the No. 14 pick in the first round of the 1986 NBA Draft. Despite his college success, however, Berry’s NBA career was short-lived.
He played only seven games for Portland his rookie year before being traded to the SanAntonio Spurs. The following season (1988-89) he played for both the New Jersey Nets and Houston Rockets.
Unable to make a go of it in the league (for a variety of reasons) he would go on to play the majority of his professional career in Europe, starring in both Greece and Italy from 1989-2002 and becoming one of the highest paid players in Euroleague history at the time.He returned to St. John’s in 2010 to earn his degree.
“His graduation shows the great determination and desire that Walter has always possessed,” said the late Hall of Fame Coach Lou Carnesecca, who coached Berry at St. John’s from 1984-86. “We all congratulate him. He makes us all proud.”
From the playgrounds of Harlem, to St. John’s, to the NBA and Euroleague, to life after the ball stops bouncing, Berry’s hoops journey was like no other. Then again, the playgrounds say the same about his game.