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Mar. 18—CHAMPAIGN — All Berry Wallace remembers feeling is frustration as the Illinois women's basketball team's forward made a trip to the emergency room in early February.
Her words.
Wallace knew her nose was likely broken (it was). But the Illini weren't sure if the 6-foot-1 sophomore might also have an orbital fracture. This was all the result of what happened during five-on-five drills at an Illinois practice the day before the Illini played at Oregon on Feb. 4.
Now, six weeks later, Wallace is preparing — along with her Illinois teammates — for the Illini's second straight trip to the NCAA tournament. Getting a chance to do that wasn't always a sure thing for Wallace. Especially in the immediate aftermath of her facial injury as the native of Pickerington, Ohio, waited in the ER for the diagnosis.
"Obviously, at first, I was a little nervous," Wallace said. "I didn't know what was going to happen before I went to the doctor. Honestly just glad that it's an injury that I can play through, and I'm fully protected with the mask on. Just glad that I can play the rest of the season. The only thing I was nervous about was not being able to be out there with my teammates."
Wallace has been everything for Illinois this season. So much was expected of her after the Illini lost 76 percent of their scoring from a 22-win team that reached the second round of the NCAA tournament a year ago.
The All-Big Ten First-Team selection has delivered, with Wallace averaging a team-best 18.4 points while also pulling down 6.2 rebounds per game in helping lead Illinois to a No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Illini (21-11) will face No. 10 seed Colorado (22-11) in a first-round game at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday at Memorial Gymnasium on the Vanderbilt University campus in Nashville, Tenn.
The experience Wallace has in an NCAA tournament setting could prove critical for an Illini roster without much knowledge about the March Madness stage. Wallace averaged 11.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in last year's NCAA tournament as an Illinois freshman when the Illini played in Austin, Texas.
"They're going to be key pieces trying to get (what the NCAA tournament is like) through to the team, too," Illini coach Shauna Green said of Wallace and veteran guard Jasmine Brown-Hagger. "But at the end of the day, it's a game. It's another game, and you can't make it bigger than what it is. Obviously, it's a big moment. It's the NCAA tournament. But we just have to approach it and continue to be us and the best versions of ourselves. When we do that, we usually are in a pretty good position."
Still, it's been Wallace's true breakout season that has sparked Illinois' success. Especially in the wake of another season-ending knee injury for redshirt sophomore guard Gretchen Dolan.
Wallace is quick to deflect the credit to her teammates and coaches as the former five-star recruit and McDonald's All-American has developed into one of the top players in the Big Ten. Wallace has a shooting slash line of 47.4/36.1/86.8 percent as a sophomore despite the added defensive attention she garners with her rise in production.
"The coaches have done everything that they said when I came on my visit here," Wallace said. "I am just super grateful that God led me here. He knew that they were going to follow through on what they said. I'm just grateful that my coaches have believed in me and my teammates, as well. They have really put in the work to help me get better.
"We do workouts all the time. They're always critiquing my game and helping me just grow even more as a player. I'm just grateful to have them, to have someone that is constantly pushing me to be the best version of myself."
That best version of Wallace now includes playing with a black protective facial mask.
Wallace has gone through some different mask variations to settle on the right fit, knowing she'll have to wear a mask the rest of the season. But Wallace hasn't missed any of the 10 games since her facial injury, including scoring 19 points and supplying four rebounds in a 76-73 loss to the Ducks in Eugene, Ore., the day after the injury happened.
"It was definitely an adjustment," Wallace said. "I think my trainer did a good job just working with me and getting me the best mask she could find. I think I have pretty good vision in it. I'm used to it at this point. It doesn't really bother me anymore. At the beginning, it was getting used to having something on your face and playing with the mask, but it's fine."
And thanks to Wallace, the Illini are doing just fine, too, with a chance to make more noise in the NCAA tournament. Wallace is happy to get to do so with a new group of teammates, with Illinois playing a pair of freshman in its starting five in point guard Destiny Jackson and forward Cearah Parchment along with key transfers, like sophomore guard Aaliyah Guyton and junior guard Maddie Webber.
"It's awesome to be in this place two years in a row playing in the NCAA tournament," Wallace said. "I'm just really excited to share what I learned last year with them as a freshman playing in the tournament and just knowing that anything can happen. It's going to be a great environment in Nashville. Just excited for what this team is going to do."
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Her words.
Wallace knew her nose was likely broken (it was). But the Illini weren't sure if the 6-foot-1 sophomore might also have an orbital fracture. This was all the result of what happened during five-on-five drills at an Illinois practice the day before the Illini played at Oregon on Feb. 4.
Now, six weeks later, Wallace is preparing — along with her Illinois teammates — for the Illini's second straight trip to the NCAA tournament. Getting a chance to do that wasn't always a sure thing for Wallace. Especially in the immediate aftermath of her facial injury as the native of Pickerington, Ohio, waited in the ER for the diagnosis.
"Obviously, at first, I was a little nervous," Wallace said. "I didn't know what was going to happen before I went to the doctor. Honestly just glad that it's an injury that I can play through, and I'm fully protected with the mask on. Just glad that I can play the rest of the season. The only thing I was nervous about was not being able to be out there with my teammates."
Wallace has been everything for Illinois this season. So much was expected of her after the Illini lost 76 percent of their scoring from a 22-win team that reached the second round of the NCAA tournament a year ago.
The All-Big Ten First-Team selection has delivered, with Wallace averaging a team-best 18.4 points while also pulling down 6.2 rebounds per game in helping lead Illinois to a No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Illini (21-11) will face No. 10 seed Colorado (22-11) in a first-round game at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday at Memorial Gymnasium on the Vanderbilt University campus in Nashville, Tenn.
The experience Wallace has in an NCAA tournament setting could prove critical for an Illini roster without much knowledge about the March Madness stage. Wallace averaged 11.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in last year's NCAA tournament as an Illinois freshman when the Illini played in Austin, Texas.
"They're going to be key pieces trying to get (what the NCAA tournament is like) through to the team, too," Illini coach Shauna Green said of Wallace and veteran guard Jasmine Brown-Hagger. "But at the end of the day, it's a game. It's another game, and you can't make it bigger than what it is. Obviously, it's a big moment. It's the NCAA tournament. But we just have to approach it and continue to be us and the best versions of ourselves. When we do that, we usually are in a pretty good position."
Still, it's been Wallace's true breakout season that has sparked Illinois' success. Especially in the wake of another season-ending knee injury for redshirt sophomore guard Gretchen Dolan.
Wallace is quick to deflect the credit to her teammates and coaches as the former five-star recruit and McDonald's All-American has developed into one of the top players in the Big Ten. Wallace has a shooting slash line of 47.4/36.1/86.8 percent as a sophomore despite the added defensive attention she garners with her rise in production.
"The coaches have done everything that they said when I came on my visit here," Wallace said. "I am just super grateful that God led me here. He knew that they were going to follow through on what they said. I'm just grateful that my coaches have believed in me and my teammates, as well. They have really put in the work to help me get better.
"We do workouts all the time. They're always critiquing my game and helping me just grow even more as a player. I'm just grateful to have them, to have someone that is constantly pushing me to be the best version of myself."
That best version of Wallace now includes playing with a black protective facial mask.
Wallace has gone through some different mask variations to settle on the right fit, knowing she'll have to wear a mask the rest of the season. But Wallace hasn't missed any of the 10 games since her facial injury, including scoring 19 points and supplying four rebounds in a 76-73 loss to the Ducks in Eugene, Ore., the day after the injury happened.
"It was definitely an adjustment," Wallace said. "I think my trainer did a good job just working with me and getting me the best mask she could find. I think I have pretty good vision in it. I'm used to it at this point. It doesn't really bother me anymore. At the beginning, it was getting used to having something on your face and playing with the mask, but it's fine."
And thanks to Wallace, the Illini are doing just fine, too, with a chance to make more noise in the NCAA tournament. Wallace is happy to get to do so with a new group of teammates, with Illinois playing a pair of freshman in its starting five in point guard Destiny Jackson and forward Cearah Parchment along with key transfers, like sophomore guard Aaliyah Guyton and junior guard Maddie Webber.
"It's awesome to be in this place two years in a row playing in the NCAA tournament," Wallace said. "I'm just really excited to share what I learned last year with them as a freshman playing in the tournament and just knowing that anything can happen. It's going to be a great environment in Nashville. Just excited for what this team is going to do."
Continue reading...
