After asking Glapion a handful of questions to build suspense, Cal’s head coach told his team, “He’s done some great things, and we’re here to present him with a scholarship.” Players rose from their seats, wrapped Glapion in a collective embrace and called for a speech.
But the senior who had spent more than half a decade trying to land a full-ride scholarship wasn’t prepared for this sudden attention. “This is…oh, man,” Glapion said as he cupped his hands and raised them to his face, trying to find the right words. “I’m in shock.”
Sunday evening, before tipping off against USC in their final home game, the Bears will honor three senior players. Though one is far more recognizable to fans than the other two, this Cal team values Glapion, walk-on Nick Kerr and all-Pac-12 point guard Tyrone Wallace just the same.
“With our walk-ons, it’s not just a thing where you just consider them as walk-ons and some people have them for grade point averages and all that,” Martin said. Glapion “has been in the trenches every single day, every step of the way. He’s a part of our program, part of our success.”
At George Washington High School, Glapion hardly thought about playing for his local Pac-12 team. He would have been giddy to receive a scholarship from a Division I program, anywhere.
As a senior in 2011, Glapion was named AAA Player of the Year after leading the Eagles with 23 points per game. But interest from college coaches was tepid, at best, for a no-frills guard with little AAU experience. His only scholarship offers were partial rides from Division II programs Academy of Art University and Dominican University.
So he walked on at Seattle University, the only Division I school that wanted him. Glapion concedes that he wasn’t ready emotionally at that point for the rigors of mid-major basketball. After taking a redshirt year, he transferred to Cosumnes River College in Sacramento.
A bulging disc in his back derailed much of his freshman season. Fully healthy in 2013-14, he cracked the starting lineup for a Hawks team that reached the Northern California regional semifinals.
But modest numbers — 9.4 points and 1.6 assists per game — prevented him from gaining much traction with Division I coaches. Glapion was frustrated. Three years and two schools removed from George Washington, his circumstances hadn’t changed: Division II and Division III programs were still his best available options.
“By that time, basketball was only one factor,” Glapion said. “I was more looking at going to the best school.”
He enrolled in Cal’s political science program in fall 2014, at peace with the end of his playing career. Then his former trainer, Prolific Prep founder Jeremy Russotti, contacted Martin on Glapion’s behalf. A week or so later, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Glapion started working out with the team he had followed as a kid.
His playing time is limited to lopsided outings. In a possible 60 games the past two seasons, he has totaled 19 points and 34 minutes in 17 appearances. Glapion doesn’t complain.
“Our walk-ons come lift, they come to practice and they work hard,” Wallace said. “Glap is always trying to help us and make us better players. To see him get put on scholarship, I know we were all very excited for him.”
On that Jan. 16 afternoon, after taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Glapion delivered his speech.
“This is truly a dream come true,” said Glapion, who plans to take a year off after graduating in May to apply to law schools. “I really love each and every one of ya’ll. This has been the best year and a half, two years of my life.”
Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cletourneau@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @Con_Chron
