Ramon Walker had another of those UH days: Unsung Hero. When the team is down a man (or 2… or 3… or 4, as it was on Saturday), Ramon typically steps up and calms troubled waters. He’s the glue guy, to be sure, and the Keeper of the Culture™ as well, but he can go out and give you gritty minutes and contribute heavily to a win.
Saturday, he played 27 minutes, including 10 straight in the second half after JoJo picked up his third and fourth fouls in quick succession. Kelvin Sampson needed Ramon, but he had played so well in the first 20 minutes that he deserved the opportunity in the second half: Ramon went 2/3 for 9 points with two rebounds in 13 minutes before halftime. In a game with 60 free throw attempts, he was the only player on either team to make all of his (4/4).
On CATS last night, Galen Robinson said about Ramon, “You know he’s going to make multiple winning plays in the minutes that he’s given. That is a great security blanket to have.” Indeed.
Ramon is in his fifth season and has played in exactly half of UH’s games in that time (82 of 164), due to injuries to a tendon in his right hand (2025), his knee (2024), and stepping away from the program in 2023 for personal reasons. But he’s delivered so often in those 82 games: as a freshman, he had three 3-pointers and a key offensive board in a 2OT road win at Wichita. In the upset of one-seed Arizona, he took a charge from a 7-footer, had a crucial steal, and hit a big three in the Sweet 16. In 2024, with four starters fouled out, Ramon had a big offensive board and putback late in the overtime win in the second-round win over A&M in Memphis.
Saturday in Newark, subbing in for Chris Cenac and JoJo, he played critical minutes and hit big shots to help this team get its signature out-of-conference win. Since then, I’ve seen that people are calling Ramon the new Mylik Wilson. Mylik, as I’ve said a few times on GoCoogs Podcasts, is my favorite UH basketball player ever. By his senior year, Mylik was a better shooter than Ramon, better defensively, and did things athletically that made you shake your head.
I don’t love comparing guys, but I think Ramon is more like Reggie Chaney.
He’s tough. He’s resilient. He’s battled injuries his entire career. He’s the energy guy. And he has a wry smile whose appearance can affect everyone on the team.
That described Reggie. That describes Ramon.
The game in Newark was a Reggie Special: the two teams he played for (Arkansas and Houston) battling in a heavyweight fight. And while the superstars of those teams threw haymakers back and forth, it was the glue guy who came off the bench to rescue the Coogs when the game went off-script.
That described Reggie. That describes Ramon.
Ramon did not play the second semester last year. He didn’t play the second semester in the 2022-23 season, either. But with one game left before Big 12 play, he is poised to go into spring 2026 with a vital role on this team. Elder statesman, glue guy, and a hard-ass with a smile are all part of it. But there will come a stretch where Ramon will plug those critical minutes and produce, just like Reggie did in March of his senior season (11/12 from the floor despite playing with a broken hand). Many had written Ramon off going into this season, buried underneath the shiny new four- and five-star talent filling up the roster. That described Reggie.
But sometimes it’s the old workhorse that shines bright. And if it comes to that late in the season, you better believe, that describes Ramon.
