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Above and Beyond
"Despite the doubts and concerns that others may have had, he never questioned himself," Coach John Thompson III said of Wallace.
(Joel Richardson - The Post)
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"I definitely have a lot of respect for the things that he does on the court," said Marquette guard Jerel McNeal, the reigning Big East defensive player of the year. "He's one of the smartest point guards that you're going to find in the nation. Incredible shot selection. . . .
[an error occurred while processing this directive]"He's always looking for the best shot for the team. He's more of a pass-first kind of guy, trying to get everybody else involved in the offense. But at the same time, when it's time for him to take that shot, most of the time he's going to be wide open, and he's going to make a move to get space."
During the offseason, Wallace spent a lot of time shooting off the dribble, "because people think of me as a spot-up three-point shooter and defenders key on that." He was Georgetown's primary ballhandler for much of his first three seasons, but this season, the Hoyas have three other capable ballhandlers in junior Jessie Sapp (who will be available to play tonight after getting kneed in the head Saturday), sophomore Jeremiah Rivers and freshman Chris Wright.
"People try to give [Wallace] a position, but he has the ability to be a very good point guard and a very good shooting guard," Thompson said. "When he lets the ball go, I think it's going to go in, and most of the time I'm right. At the same time, he can manage a game, manage the flow of the game and place people in the right spots."
That's one reason Thompson trusts Wallace so much. When the senior men's and women's basketball players bungled Thompson's favorite call-and-answer "We are Georgetown" cheer at Midnight Madness in mid-October, for instance, the coach handed the microphone to Wallace and commanded, "Jon, fix it."
Wallace still is a popular figure at Sparkman High, where he was the student government president and his father, Manuel, is the principal. Tiggs estimates that 150 to 200 members of the school and local community will make the 90-minute drive to Birmingham for the game, and Wallace managed to scrounge together more than 20 tickets to cover the various family members who will attend.
They'll see someone who has matured both on and off the court. Wallace, an English major, already has been accepted to Georgetown's law school, which is considered to be one of the best in the country.
"He's still Jonathan," Tiggs said. "What makes us proud of him is Jonathan the person. . . . He's still an ol' country boy from Alabama. I think we're all excited for the opportunity to have him back home."
