Kellogg Announces Signing of Zahirah Walton
April 10, 2026 01:13 PM | Women's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (March 10, 2026) – West Virginia University women's basketball head coach Mark Kellogg has announced the addition of Zahirah "ZaZa" Walton (Seattle, Wash. / George Mason / Kentlake High School) to a grant-in-aid for the 2026-27 academic year.
"We are thrilled to welcome Zahirah "ZaZa" Walton to our program. Zahirah is a dynamic guard who brings toughness, versatility, and a competitive edge to our program," Kellogg said. "She has demonstrated the ability to produce at a high level on both ends of the court, and we believe her skill set will translate seamlessly into the physicality and pace of the Big 12. Beyond her talent, she is a tremendous fit for our culture and the way we play. We are looking forward to what she'll bring to our team and our fans."
The 6-foot guard/forward from Seattle, Washington, has played three seasons of collegiate basketball with one season of eligibility left after beginning her career at George Mason. She sat out the 2022-23 season and will come to Morgantown as a redshirt senior.
For her career, she has scored 1,410 points, averaging 14.8 points per game to go along with 556 rebounds and a 5.9 per game mark. She adds 160 assists, 158 steals and 95 blocks in her career.
Walton is a three-time Atlantic 10 All-Conference selection, 2025-26 All-ECAC Second Team, 2026 Atlantic 10 Championship All-Tournament Team, Three-time Atlantic 10 Player of the Week, 2025 Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team, 2025 Atlantic 10 Championship Most Outstanding Player, 2024 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, 2024 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team and Six-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week.
Last season, she played in 32 games to lead the team with 582 points on 198-for-485 shooting, with 23-for-85 from 3-point range. Walton averaged 18.1 points per game on 40.8% shooting. She also averaged 6.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game, showcasing her all-around impact on both ends of the floor. She added 68 assists and 59 steals while leading the team with 196 rebounds and 30 blocks.
Walton scored a career-high 42 points at Murray St. on Nov. 28, finishing the game 15-for-23 from the floor. She also earned four A-10 Player of the Week honors throughout the season, was named a 2026 A-10 All-Conference First Team selection and named to the 2026 Becky Hammon Player of the Year Midseason Watch List. At the conference tournament, she was named to the A-10 Championship All-Tournament Team after averaging 17.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocks.
During her freshman and sophomore seasons, she averaged 11.3 and 14.8 points per game, respectively, and has averaged over 5.6 rebounds per game during both seasons.
In high school, she played for Kentlake in Kent, Washington and at East Catholic, where she was named Most Valuable Player as well as First Team All-League. Additionally, she played AAU for the Northwest Greyhounds.
Walton intends to major in criminology while at West Virginia University. She is the daughter of Troy and Shandra Walton and has three siblings: Jaleel, Troy Jr. and Andre.
"We are thrilled to welcome Zahirah "ZaZa" Walton to our program. Zahirah is a dynamic guard who brings toughness, versatility, and a competitive edge to our program," Kellogg said. "She has demonstrated the ability to produce at a high level on both ends of the court, and we believe her skill set will translate seamlessly into the physicality and pace of the Big 12. Beyond her talent, she is a tremendous fit for our culture and the way we play. We are looking forward to what she'll bring to our team and our fans."
The 6-foot guard/forward from Seattle, Washington, has played three seasons of collegiate basketball with one season of eligibility left after beginning her career at George Mason. She sat out the 2022-23 season and will come to Morgantown as a redshirt senior.
For her career, she has scored 1,410 points, averaging 14.8 points per game to go along with 556 rebounds and a 5.9 per game mark. She adds 160 assists, 158 steals and 95 blocks in her career.
Walton is a three-time Atlantic 10 All-Conference selection, 2025-26 All-ECAC Second Team, 2026 Atlantic 10 Championship All-Tournament Team, Three-time Atlantic 10 Player of the Week, 2025 Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team, 2025 Atlantic 10 Championship Most Outstanding Player, 2024 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, 2024 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team and Six-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week.
Last season, she played in 32 games to lead the team with 582 points on 198-for-485 shooting, with 23-for-85 from 3-point range. Walton averaged 18.1 points per game on 40.8% shooting. She also averaged 6.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game, showcasing her all-around impact on both ends of the floor. She added 68 assists and 59 steals while leading the team with 196 rebounds and 30 blocks.
Walton scored a career-high 42 points at Murray St. on Nov. 28, finishing the game 15-for-23 from the floor. She also earned four A-10 Player of the Week honors throughout the season, was named a 2026 A-10 All-Conference First Team selection and named to the 2026 Becky Hammon Player of the Year Midseason Watch List. At the conference tournament, she was named to the A-10 Championship All-Tournament Team after averaging 17.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocks.
During her freshman and sophomore seasons, she averaged 11.3 and 14.8 points per game, respectively, and has averaged over 5.6 rebounds per game during both seasons.
In high school, she played for Kentlake in Kent, Washington and at East Catholic, where she was named Most Valuable Player as well as First Team All-League. Additionally, she played AAU for the Northwest Greyhounds.
Walton intends to major in criminology while at West Virginia University. She is the daughter of Troy and Shandra Walton and has three siblings: Jaleel, Troy Jr. and Andre.
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