The energy of Amare Stoudemire.

The footwork of Roger Federer.

Joshua Walker may have changed his major from civil engineering to English, but he still knows a lot about structure. The junior outside hitter continues to study what makes a good athlete great as he builds on his game for the ninth-ranked Hawaii volleyball team.

“;The team's goal has been to improve on defense. It's what we've worked really hard on,”; said Walker as the team prepared to host defending NCAA champion UC Irvine tomorrow and Saturday. “;For me personally, I've worked very hard on my passing. If you pass good, then points come a lot easier.

“;My favorite NBA player is Amare Stoudemire because he has so much energy, takes advantage of all his athletic skills all the time. That's my goal, exactly how I want to play. That when people see me play they'll say, 'That guy's a monster who goes out hard every time, every play.' “;

Walker's already there, according to his coaches and teammates. His work ethic has translated into him becoming a better all-around player, with noticeable improvement in passing and serving.

The 6-foot-1 Walker has gained more than an inch on his vertical. He's now touching 11 feet, 7 1/2 inches and, combined with his phenomenal hang time, has only added to the mystique of “;Sky-Walker.”;

“;He's the most athletic guy on the team,”; Walker's roommate, senior libero Ric Cervantes, said. “;And when you can add skills to that athleticism ...

“;When you watch him just go over the block, it's kind of a joke. You say, 'What was that?' He's a big weapon, in or out of system. He can do it all.”;

What the Virginia Beach, Va., native is determined to be is more consistent. He's gone from a 3.57 kps average, hitting .225, to a team-leading 4.32 kps while hitting .349.

“;It's easy to set him,”; junior setter Nejc Zemljak said. “;He can make a bad set look really good, and he's getting better.

“;And, every once in a while, he has that kill that comes back as an overpass and it's easy for me to put it back down.”;

The most memorable of Zemljak's kills came in Hawaii's upset of No. 1 USC to win the season-opening Outrigger Hotels Invitational. In a bang-bang play, Walker's lineshot returned back to the Warriors' side of the net where Zemljak pounded it back off the face of Trojans setter Riley McKibbin.

“;I've been saying that I deserve an assist on that one,”; Walker said.

Walker gives his older sister an assist for turning him onto volleyball. Both played basketball and she told Walker that volleyball helped her basketball game.

Walker excelled at both sports at Tallwood High, where the Lions won four district, two regional and one state title and a district and regional championship in basketball.

Walker, the MVP of the state championship as a junior, was recruited mostly by east coast programs, including current No. 15 Saint Francis and No. 5 Penn State, with the latter asking him to walk on. It was at a qualifying tournament in Anaheim, Calif., his senior year that Walker was approached by former Warrior associate coach Tino Reyes.

“;So why not play volleyball in Hawaii?”; Walker said. “;I got accepted into the engineering school here. I like the beach, we have the same type of weather at home, a lot of military, lots of different cultures.

“;I think I've adjusted pretty well.”;

First-year Warriors coach Charlie Wade has no complaint.

“;He's a unique kind of athlete,”; Wade said. “;He has a fast jump, a fast arm, fast-twitch muscles ... usually a pretty good formula for gifted athletes. And coupled with how he works ... I'm glad he's playing for us.”;

Hawaii is back home after going 2-2 on the road to open the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. Walker is ready to be back in the Stan Sheriff Center for the first time since Jan. 9, and ready for the Anteaters.

“;We got smashed pretty bad up there last year,”; Walker said of being swept twice at UCI. “;We're definitely motivated for this week.”;