After the Terrapin women’s basketball team’s 29-point December loss at Pitt, coach Brenda Frese knew she had to make a critical adjustment to ensure her team’s future success on the road.
The seventh-year Terp coach wasn’t thinking about a change in the starting lineup or a switch in defensive strategy. Frese was concerned about a member of the team who didn’t play that day – one who wasn’t even in Pittsburgh to witness the Terps’ worst loss of the season.
That player was redshirt sophomore Emery Wallace, who after multiple injuries to her left knee is no longer able to suit up for the No. 5 Terps.
But Frese felt that Wallace’s other attributes – her seemingly endless charisma and energy on the sideline – were too important for the Terps (23-4, 10-2 ACC) to be without when away from Comcast Center.
“I told her she was not allowed to miss another road game,” Frese said, adding Wallace also missed the team’s season-opening loss at TCU. “She’s that valuable. She has become a huge part of our team and our program.”
Wallace will undergo an ACL reconstruction and meniscus transplant after the season, her fourth left knee surgery since her junior year in high school, after re-injuring the knee before the season. Until then, the Roanoke, Va., native will continue to take on her self-proclaimed role as the team’s “hype master,” responsible for energizing and supporting her teammates.
It’s common to see Wallace stand on the sideline and yell defensive instructions like an assistant coach, or leap out of her seat when a Terp makes a big play. She’ll also take part in the team’s pregame drills, clapping her hands and yelling in the process.
“I’m a very positive and upbeat person,” Wallace said. “I’m just trying to keep my teammates always positive, keep up that cheering and be the bench leader. When people come out of the game and they are struggling, I try to keep them upbeat.”
Freshman center Yemi Oyefuwa has grown accustomed to Wallace’s persistent motivation on and off the court.
“Let me just say, the two away games that she wasn’t there, we lost,” Oyefuwa said.
Wallace’s role might seem inconsequential to some, especially on a team that boasts two All-American caliber talents in guard Kristi Toliver and forward Marissa Coleman. But to her teammates and Frese, the player sometimes dubbed “Little Brenda” is a crucial component of the Terps’ chemistry.
While others, such as Oyefuwa, center Lynetta Kizer and guard Marah Strickland are always vocal during practices, they are still able to exercise their enthusiasm for the game on the court.
Wallace’s career is finished because of her troublesome knee. She played just one season for the Terps: last year, when she averaged five minutes played in 12 appearances.
That makes her continued passion for the program unique.
“She makes every film session,” Frese said. “There’s always clips to show of Emery, of just the energy and enthusiasm she displays on the bench. She brings it every single day in practice. You talk about a player that’s so selfless and completely about the team, I mean her career is over and she wouldn’t need to have that energy.”
Wallace, who will remain on scholarship after being granted a medical hardship waiver, according to Frese, understands she won’t be able to contribute to the team on the floor. So far, her desire for the team to succeed has overcome that realization.
“I love these guys,” Wallace said. “They’re like my sisters. They’ve been supporting me, so now I’m trying to give all my energy and support to them, because I can’t give it on the court.”
Wallace was on the court last Thursday, if only for a couple minutes, helping the Terps go through warm-ups before their win at Georgia Tech. She stood at her usual spot at the high post, dressed in her white Terps’ jersey adorned with a hand-written word from each player that symbolizes what this season means to them.
She drilled pass after pass to oncoming shooters before taking a seat on the bench before tip-off, knowing the Terps needed to beat a tougher-than-normal Yellow Jacket team in order to stay in the chase for first place in the ACC.
Wallace stood up and yelled, high-fived teammates and focused on the game as intensely as ever, once again proving that, although she couldn’t play, this season means as much to her as anyone else on the team.
“I realize I can get through anything right now,” Wallace said. “I’ll do anything I can for my teammates to help us win.”
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