10th Region Player Profile:

Bryan Wallace- 6'0" Sr. (Montgomery County)

 

Bryan Wallace came to Montgomery County last year from Shelby County and did not disappoint. As a junior the 6'0 guard was the Indians #2 scorer, behind the amazing Omar Prewitt, and seemed to have a knack for stepping up when the spotlight shined its brightest. In a 10th Region Tournament semifinal contest with Bishop Brossart, Wallace scored 21 points in helping his team to a convincing 16-point victory. When Montgomery arrived at Rupp Arena for just the second time in school history, Wallace averaged 17 points in the team's three games, which was good enough to earn himself a spot on the Sweet 16 All-Tournament Team.

 

The talented Wallace enters this season hoping for a repeat of last season. "Except," Wallace says, "we want to be playing on Sunday this year. Anything else will be a letdown." The reference is to the Sweet 16 title game and Wallace will be the catalyst in leading Montgomery's quest for a return visit to Lexington in March. To say that Wallace should increase his production from last year might seem unfair, considering he averaged 16.1 ppg, while shooting 57.3% from the floor, 40.2% from beyond the arc, and 78.1% from the free throw line. But then you hear what his new coach Jason Holland has to say and your jaw hits the floor. "Bryan is the best guard I have had a chance to coach, he can score off the dribble, and his shooting has improved. His vertical and work habits have gotten a lot better too. His defense away from the ball is his greatest strength in my opinion. For me he is such a good person and a great teammate," Holland said. Pretty high praise from a coach who has had his fair share of talent over the years.

 

As an individual, Wallace most definitely has college aspirations and wants to get a degree, though the specifics on how that will play out aren't quite clear at this point. He is presently focused on improving as an individual and helping the Indians continue the 10th Region domination they clearly established a season ago. When asked to assess his own game Wallace says a strength is "being able to score in many different ways," but he also takes a tremendous amount of pride on the defensive side of the ball--a trait not always common among high-scoring guards.

 

One might find it quite remarkable that a program like Montgomery County could lose so much--Omar Prewitt, Tyler Jones, coach Happy Osborne--but then you look at a player of Wallace's caliber and you understand why there remains so much excitement and optimism in Mt. Sterling. An accomplished scorer and above-average defender, Wallace possesses the tools necessary to help MoCo continue its string of success.

This kid is the picture of toughness. An example- Wallace got elbowed hard in the nose against Pendleton right before halftime, causing a small fracture. He played the next day- without a mask and put up 17 points.

Great defensive player.I love watching a kid really work hard on the defensive end. Most times, I think too much emphasis is put on scoring. Glad to see that defense is appreciated.

Great write up and great player!