For most high school freshman basketball players, hopes of one day playing varsity weigh heavy on their minds. Dreams of scoring their first points, starting a game, or simply making the team are goals strived for every day for these players.
For Zi’Yan Wallace, this dream is a reality. Playing varsity since seventh grade, Wallace was a star right out of the gates, making an impact as soon as she stepped foot on the court for her old school, Springfield Renaissance. Now at Springfield Central, the top ranked girls basketball team in Massachusetts, not only has Wallace found herself a starter at this young age, but also recently eclipsed 1,000 points in her varsity career, reaching the milestone as only a freshman.
“It was kind of this big relief off my chest,” Wallace said. “I felt like it was kind of holding me back from playing at my 100% because it was in the back of my mind. But it felt great. My teammates were there and celebrated with me. It just meant a lot.”
Wallace’s gift on the court was obvious immediately. As a seventh grader, she instantly cemented herself as one of the top players in the area, using her size and strength to create a name for herself in the paint, using a soft touch around the rim. She also was a threat on the glass, consistently grabbing double digit rebounds. Wallace led Springfield Renaissance to the MIAA Division V state semifinals in her seventh grade season, but the team would come up just short of making the finals, the standout leading the charge with a 23-point effort.
As an eighth grader, she exploded into becoming a true force on the court, scoring 502 points on the season and leading her team to the Division V State Championship, dropping 20 points on the biggest stage, but came up just short for yet another season.
Now at Springfield Central, Wallace is picking up where she left off at her old school and is not showing signs of slowing down. Her new head coach, James Gee, can see it too.
“She’s a workhorse,” Gee said. “She’s like the female LeBron James in high school basketball. With her size, strength, endurance, and will to win, she’s been a great asset to the team. She wants to make everyone better around her as well.”
Wallace’s work ethic and determination has made the switch from Springfield Renaissance to Springfield Central an easier transition. After scoring 957 points as a middle schooler, Wallace has found her place on the team while using her strengths to her advantage, while being more at ease after crossing the 1,000 point threshold. With the new system, she’s also able to find holes in her game to work on as she relearns the structure of the team.
“It was very different,” Wallace said. “I had to be more disciplined and there’s better competition. I needed to work on my defense a little bit more because it’s not at the best of where it can be.”
With her drive to become the best version of herself as a player, Gee knows there will be growing pains, but Wallace’s talent will prevail.
“She’s a phenomenal kid,” Gee said. “She’s now stepping up. She’s adjusting and learning our system as a freshman. She’s a great talent and she’s a kid of great culture.”
Following Springfield Central’s 56-44 win over Northwest Catholic on day two of the Panini Hoophall Classic, Wallace knows what’s next for the team, and the next step for her own basketball journey: winning a championship. Gee feels it too, but knows it will take a team effort to get there.
“The goal is, obviously, we want to win a state championship,” Gee added. “We want to do it as a team because it takes a team to win championships. It’s always who is up next to help the team win.”
Wallace knows the hard work it takes to get to a championship level, and is willing to do whatever it takes to will the team to a championship while winning her first title individually.
“I’ve been working hard these past years and I’m going to continue to work hard,” Wallace said. “We can beat whoever we want if we just put our minds to it, we work hard, we hustle, and we work together as a team.”