Three years ago, Aaron Walton-Moss’ future in basketball had all but flatlined. His play at Camden (N.J.) High School had turned heads, but his grades turned away Division I coaches and scholarship offers.

All he wanted was another chance.

“Camden is known for bad stuff that goes on, but there’s also a lot of people that made it out and did great things,” Walton-Moss said. “It’s an opportunity to do something positive with yourself.”

Now, he’s doing exactly that at Division III Cabrini College.

The 6-foot-1 guard has been the centerpiece for the No. 6 Cavaliers (21-1), who currently sit atop the Colonial States Athletic Conference standings. He ranks fifth in the country with 24.7 points per game and has also hauled in 10.7 rebounds per contest.

But more impressive than his performance on the court has been his turnaround in the classroom and at home. Now the father of a 3-year-old daughter, Walton-Moss is committed to ensuring his own well-being and her long-term success.

“I don’t want to sit here and do good for one semester, then fall off for nothing,” he said. “Now, I’ve just got to make sure I stay on that right track“

For a long time, getting there wasn’t easy.

Growing up in Camden posed its own set of challenges. Hearing the periodic interlude of gunshots was commonplace and many kids struggled to escape life on the streets.

When his older brother passed away from cancer, Walton-Moss was actually thankful that his brother didn’t meet a more violent fate.

“I rather it be him dying from that than getting gunned down in the street,” he said. “We knew it was coming.”

Walton-Moss knew that life wasn’t for him, and basketball could be his ticket to something better.

In terms of talent, he was set. He earned second-team all-state honors as a senior in 2009 and averaged a double-double. Cabrini guard Vinny Walls, who played with Walton-Moss at Camden, said his in-game mental awareness was nearly flawless.

“His I.Q. was very high on the court,” Walls said. “Nobody’s perfect, but in that sense, he always tries to make the right choice in game situations.”

But the classroom was a different story.

Coming out of middle school, Walton-Moss said he focused solely on basketball. He finally realized by his junior year that he couldn’t play without the grades, so he tried to pick up the slack.

By that point, it was too late. Temple and other schools stopped pursuing him. He didn’t play at all during the next two years.

Instead, he had a daughter to worry about.

Ariyiania was born in 2010 and his focus immediately shifted to her. He took jobs at Wal-Mart and the Camden Bureau of Recreation for financial stability before the Cabrini opportunity presented itself.

It started in 2011, thanks to the NBA lockout. Walton-Moss was working-out with Sacramento Kings forward Jason Thompson when he was introduced to Marcus Kahn, Cabrini’s head coach. Kahn talked to him about his situation and the possibility of playing in Radnor (Pa.), but he never expected the skilled Walton-Moss to even apply.

He did, and then Kahn received another surprise.

“Two weeks later, he’s coming in with an acceptance letter,” Kahn said. “I thought, ‘OK, well I guess this is getting real now.’”

Once on the team, Walton-Moss accepted the role of sixth man and made his presence known immediately. He averaged 11.5 points in 19 games and proved to Kahn he was serious about rebuilding his basketball career.

He then needed to overcome one final academic hurdle, as he missed the first semester of the 2012-2013 season due to poor grades. Since that point, though, Walton-Moss said his GPA has progressively risen.

That doesn’t surprise Kahn, who said his work ethic is second to none.

“He’s taken that same mindset over this last year off the floor,” Kahn said. “Basketball can go away, so he’s gotta learn to have a backup plan.”

In an ideal situation, Walton-Moss said he would like a chance to play professionally. He wants to pay for Ariyiania’s college tuition well ahead of time.

Now that she can understand the sport, she’s arguably Walton-Moss’ biggest fan. She attends Cabrini home games and often brings a smile to his face with her candid commentary.

“The TV can come on, and she points at it and says, ‘That’s my dad playing,’” he said. “I would love to try to get my foot in the door of the NBA or the D-League so she can really see it up close.”

If playing basketball won’t accomplish that task, he is hoping to either coach or break into sports radio.

After all that he’s been through, his future is bright. He was given the chance he so desperately wanted, and now he isn’t looking back.

“It doesn’t matter because talent is going to show wherever you’re at,” Walton-Moss said. “As long as you do what you’re going to do and handle your business…that’s all that really matters.”

Published on February 19, 2014 at 12:16 am

Contact Tyler: tfpiccot@syr.edu