Like his dad, Wallace growing into special player
Twenty-five years ago, a kid named Courtney Wallace was one of the top high school basketball players in Western Pennsylvania.
A quarter-century later, a 14-year-old with the same name could be headed toward similar stardom.
Like father, like son. Just like his dad, Courtney Wallace is a standout hooper. The younger Wallace is a freshman at Neighborhood Academy, a small school located in the Stanton Heights neighborhood of Pittsburgh. He may not turn 15 until June, but Wallace already has a Division I offer. Fordham of the Atlantic 10 extended him one this past weekend.
“I was super excited, but also very humble because it’s just the beginning,” Wallace said. “I know I need to stay focused on getting better and playing hard.”
Wallace is one of three WPIAL freshmen with Division I offers. Lincoln Park’s Meleek Thomas and Imani Christian’s Alier Maluk are the others.
Wallace’s dad was a City League star in the 1990s. The older Wallace was a standout point guard at Perry High School and was a Post-Gazette Fabulous 5 pick as a senior in 1997 (along with Blackhawk’s Archie Miller, Schenley’s Brian Carroll, Franklin Regional’s Aaron Lovelace and Chartiers
Recruiting notebook
Valley’s Isaiah Stewart). Wallace went on to have an excellent career at Duquesne University, where he scored 1,394 points.
At 6 feet 1, the younger Wallace is three inches shorter than his dad, but he has already developed into a bigtime scorer at the point guard position.
Wallace averaged 20.6 points a game this past season when he was one of only three WPIAL freshmen named to all-section teams. He also helped Neighborhood Academy reach the WPIAL Class 1A playoffs for the first time in what was just the program’s second season as a member of the WPIAL.
“He’s a kid who just loves the game of basketball,” Neighborhood Academy coach Jordan Marks said. “[What stands out] is the way he can score in addition to the way he can make plays for others. His basketball IQ is really high.”
And so is Wallace’s GPA, which the Garfield resident said is 4.0 this semester and 3.8 for the school year.
Wallace plays AAU ball for the RYTES Warriors, a team also coached by Marks. Wallace played for the program’s U17 team at the Pitt Jam Fest over the weekend, and played well, according to Marks. Wallace and Ringgold freshman Zion Moore both started for RYTES. Wallace caught the eye of Fordham assistant coach Ronald Ramon, who let the older Wallace know of the offer Sunday.
Ramon is a former Pitt star who Marks has known for years. Marks was the video coordinator at Pitt in the early 2000s, and said he would often rebound for Ramon back in those days, a job which Marks said was very easy because Ramon was such a terrific shooter.
Another former Pitt standout, Tray Woodall, is also a Fordham assistant. The Rams are currently without a head coach after Kyle Neptune stepped down last week after just one season. Neptune was named Villanova’s new coach after Jay Wright retired. There have been reports that yet another former Pitt player, Brandin Knight, is one of the leading candidates to take over the head coaching job at Fordham.
The younger Wallace never had the chance to see his dad play in person, but said he has watched highlights of him.
“People say I remind them of him, but I still think I have a long way to go,” added Wallace, who said his mom, Janel Saban, is another of his biggest supporters.
Marks said that Wallace could grow into a major college recruit.
“Absolutely,” said Marks. “As long as he continues to do what he’s been doing. I always stress to him not to settle. Keep working. I think he has the potential, if he continues to work, to be one of the best players to come out of this area in a while.”
First offers
Norwin sophomore Jackson Pons picked up his first FBS offer this month, and it came from an SEC school. Pons, a wide receiver-defensive back, was offered by Mississippi State. It’s the second offer for Pons, who also has one from Gardner-Webb. There’s a connection between Pons and Mississippi State. Pons’ dad, Jon, was a star at South Allegheny in the ’90s. One of his teammates was Matt Dudek, now senior executive director of football recruiting at Mississippi State.
Among those also picking up their first FBS offers recently were a pair of junior defensive backs who helped their teams win PIAA football titles last season. Aliquippa’s Nate Lindsey was offered by Toledo and Central Valley’s Jayvin Thompson picked up an offer from Army.
Remember them?
Alex Griggs helped Vincentian win a WPIAL title in its final year of existence back in 2020. Griggs has been at First Love Christian since, and recently announced that he has committed to Slippery Rock. A 6-1 guard, Griggs will become the second member of his family to play for a PSAC school. His sister, Lexi, was a standout at IUP and is now an assistant coach there.
Another standout on that Vincentian team who moved on to First Love has also made his college decision. Angelo “Boom” Reeves, a 6-6 forward, will continue his career at Flagler, a school in Florida that reached the NCAA Division II Final Four in 2021.
Basketball commitments
Canon-McMillan’s Tori Wesolowski (Waynesburg); North Allegheny’s Matt McDonough (Penn State Behrend); North Hills’ Matt Seidl (Washington & Jefferson); Rochester’s Mekenzie Robison (La Roche); Waynesburg’s Clara Paige Miller (Waynesburg).
Football commitments
Ambridge’s D’Saun Harmon (Livingstone); Bishop Canevin’s Eli Wilson (Westminster); Carmichaels’ Trenton Carter (Wittenberg); Laurel Highlands’ Kaleb Glebis (Muskingum); Laurel Highlands’ A. J. Sumpter (Muskingum); Moon’s Ty McGowan (Westminster); Seneca Valley’s Ben Correll (Grove City); South Fayette’s Keon Johnson (Washington & Jefferson); Upper St. Clair’s Brady Bartusiak ( Case Western Reserve).
Soccer commitments
Burrell’s Ali Hughes (Duquesne); Hopewell’s Jayla Kirkwood (La Roche); Plum’s Kaitlyn Killinger (Pitt).
Track commitments
Armstrong’s Layne Miller ( Slippery Rock); Mars’ Kirsten Maybach (Coastal Carolina); Seneca Valley’s Tyler Yurich (Navy); South Fayette’s Amanda Marquis (West Chester).