Dunbar's Devante Wallace commits to High Point
For two-and-a-half weeks, Devante Wallace waited patiently for a phone call that would determine his college future.
The recent Dunbar graduate made an official visit to High Point earlier this month, but the Panthers were considering him and another player with just one scholarship to give. If the High Point offer came through, Wallace planned to commit on the spot. If the High Point coaches decided to offer the other player, Wallace was ticketed for prep school.
On Monday morning, Wallace got the call – and the good news – he had been waiting for.
“They called my father. I was asleep at the time. I just woke up and my father was talking to the coach. I asked him if they offered me and he said yes. Then Coach talked to me and said they were offering me. I was just happy because that was one of the main schools,” said Wallace, who also had interest from Eastern Michigan, Loyola, Mount St. Mary’s, Quinnipiac and UMBC. “It was just exciting that [High Point offered and I committed]. It’s a good feeling.”
Wallace's commitment will bring him back to his home state. He grew up in Durham, N.C., and moved to Baltimore late in his sophomore year. The 6-foot-5, 175-pound wing joined Dunbar’s varsity team as a junior, backing up All-Metro player Derrell Edwards as the Poets claimed the Class 1A state championship.
“Anytime you go into a new environment, it’s an adjustment period you have to make,” said Dunbar coach Cyrus Jones. “He just continued to work hard and get adjusted to Baltimore life, Baltimore basketball, which was totally different from North Carolina. … He went into his junior year as a reserve player. At the end of the season, he started to become more acclimated, and then his senior year he started.”
Wallace -- who played AAU with the Baltimore Stars -- thrived in a starting role, averaging 17.5 points, five rebounds and two assists. The Baltimore Sun first-team All-Metro selection saved his best for last, recording 23 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and three assists in Dunbar’s win over Williamsport for the Class 1A state title at Comcast Center.
“I just worked the whole summer, came back and was better,” Wallace said. “I knew that I was one of the best players in the city because I just worked. I just started working harder, working on my ball-handling, my jump shot and my defense, and it paid off.”
While Wallace wasn’t overly enthused about leaving North Carolina for Baltimore, the benefits of his move turned out to be undeniable.
“The people that I’ve gotten to meet … made my game a lot stronger,” Wallace said. “In North Carolina, it’s like a finesse type of game. In Baltimore, you have to play hard. The coaches I had were terrific. They helped me take my game to where it is now. Before I moved up here, I wasn’t a DI prospect. Up here, coaching helped my game a lot and I am going DI.”
When High Point came calling, Wallace knew almost immediately that it was the right place for him. Located just an hour and 15 minutes away from Durham, High Point offered Wallace a school close to his friends in North Carolina, and a basketball program in need of a scoring wing.
“I think it’s a place where I can go in and just start or get a lot of time as a freshman,” Wallace said. “Being a 6-5 guy, they don’t really have a guard my height. And I like the campus. The players made me feel like I was at home.”
Said Jones: “He can knock it down from 3-point range. He continues to work on his strength and his ball-handling. He catches and shoots. … He actually has a senior in front of him, so he’s going to be basically competing for minutes with him. But after the senior leaves, he pretty much should be one of the main players on the team.”
Wallace, who was recruited to High Point by former Mount St. Mary’s assistant Ahmad Dorsett, plans to move to campus early next month for the school’s second summer session. After two years in Baltimore, Wallace can’t wait to get back home.
“Even though my whole family is from Baltimore, I just wanted to go back to North Carolina,” Wallace said. “That’s where all my friends were, where I grew up. That’s where I wanted to be.”
Baltimore Sun photo of Devante Wallace by Gene Sweeney Jr. / March 11, 2011
Comments
LUDA!
Posted by: Steve | June 28, 2011 12:32 AM