NEW YORK -- Solly Walker, a St. John's basketball star in the 1950s and the school's first black player, has died. He was 85.
He died Friday but no other details were disclosed by the school Tuesday.
In his first season on the varsity, Walker, on Dec. 17, 1951, became the first black player to compete in a basketball game against Kentucky on the Wildcats' home court.
St. John's reached the NCAA championship game that season, the first of two Final Four appearances in the school's history. He averaged 4.4 points and 3.8 rebounds during a 25-6 season under Hall of Fame coach Frank McGuire.