DISTRICT HEIGHTS, Md. – If Arizona Wildcats coach Curtis Ekmark had been within earshot of what standout 6-foot-2 Class of 2012 recruit Cortnee Walton was saying about his practice techniques, he wouldn’t have gotten angry. He would have smiled.

“We practice in this type of heat, coach doesn’t even turn the air conditioning on because he thinks it makes us soft,” Walton said. “We practice at a high speed everyday in practice. To be honest, this was easier than practice.”

Whether it’s Walton’s hometown of surprise of Surprise, Arizona or on Friday at the U.S. Junior Nationals, Walton has showed countless times that she can handle the heat, both literally and figuratively, and is going to make some BCS-level coaching staff very happy in the near future.

The full arsenal, including a motor that seems to not stop, a high basketball IQ and a nose for rebounding, was on display on Friday morning when the Arizona Wildcats downed the Motor City Suns, 68-50, to open Pool J play in the loaded Platinum bracket at U.S. Junior Nationals.

“Playing like this is going to help me make a smooth to the college level because I know a lot of teams I’m looking at like to play like that,” said Walton, who mentioned Louisville, Duke, Georgia Tech and Washington as the schools showing her the most love right now. “This summer is important for coaches to see where I can fit into their program. I don’t know if there is a lot of pressure to play well, it’s more of just showing what I can do.”

Ekmark likes to employ a helter-skelter style of basketball and from the looks of it, Walton is well-suited for that. On several occasions Friday morning, Walton hauled in a rebound, found the outlet pass and her team was off and running the other way. She needs to become a more consistent finisher at and around the basket, but that will come with more seasoning. People may look at the lack of finishing as a problem, but the savvier onlooker will note she is always around the hoop with the ball in her hand. The finishing will undoubtedly come.