Courtney Wallace is great with numbers.

Wallace, a senior at Neighborhood Academy, is enrolled in an honors math class and boasts a 3.9 GPA.

Wallace is planning on studying finance at Yale University and said he can imagine himself working on Wall Street one day.

But what makes Wallace truly unique is that his fondness for numbers in the classroom carries over to the basketball court, where he is averaging nearly a triple-double this season.

“Right now he’s one assist away,” Neighborhood Academy coach Jordan Marks said. “It’s just insane. Especially with our competition. We haven’t played many Single-A teams. We’ve played Allderdice, Fox Chapel, Beaver.”

None of them were able to slow down Wallace, a 6-foot-3 guard who is averaging 23.5 points, 11.2 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game for a Neighborhood Academy team that is likely not just the top team in Class 1A, but one of the best in the WPIAL regardless of class.

“I don’t think he’s just the best player in the WPIAL. I think he’s the best player in the state,” Marks said. “It’s astonishing. What he’s doing in the classroom and on the court as a leader helping his teammates, and to do it on arguably one of the best teams in the WPIAL, it’s insane.”

Wallace, who resides in Garfield, has attended Neighborhood Academy, located in Stanton Heights, since sixth grade. This is only Neighborhood Academy’s fifth season competing in the WPIAL. Prior to that, the Bulldogs played in the Southwestern Christian Athletic Conference.

Neighborhood Academy’s Courtney Wallace is averaging 23.5 points, 11.2 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game this season. (Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

A season ago, Wallace and his pals led Neighborhood Academy to its best season yet, as the Bulldogs went 19-7, reached the WPIAL Class 1A championship game for the first time (Wallace had 28 points and nine rebounds in a loss to Imani Christian), and captured their first-ever PIAA playoff win. Wallace poured in 24.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 9.1 assists a game on his way to first-team all-state honors.

Wallace, though, believes the best is yet to come. And so far, the results have backed up that belief. Neighborhood Academy (10-1 overall, 2-0 in Section 2) was unbeaten prior to falling to Class 4A Beaver, 71-70, on Saturday. Wallace had a half-court heave rim out at the buzzer. Neighborhood Academy’s wins include triumphs against Class 6A Fox Chapel (9-2) and four-time defending City League champion Allderdice.

“Winning a WPIAL title, that’s extremely important,” Wallace said. “Getting that title for me and the other seniors, I know that would be the icing on the cake.”

Wallace has been as cool as ice this season as he has delivered terrific performances each time he has taken the court. He scored a season-high 29 points against Beaver, recorded a school record with 13 assists against Eden Christian, and pulled down a season-best 16 rebounds against Clairton. He had triple-doubles against Eden Christian and Monessen.

“He handled our pressure, and he handled it well,” Allderdice coach Devin Crummie said of Wallace, who poured in 26 points in a 66-60 win over the Dragons. “The thing he’s doing more this year is getting his teammates open shots when teams are keying in on stopping him. They know he can deliver them the ball. The other thing that’s really impressive is how well he rebounds, especially on the defensive end.”

Wallace can sure fill a stat sheet, but it’s something that doesn’t show up on one that brings him the most pride. Wallace typically guards the opposing team’s top player.

“I take the most pride in my defense,” he said. “Being a well-rounded player, that’s something I’ve been doing for a long time.”

You could say that Wallace is a chip off the old block. He may be in the senior class, but he’ll always be a junior in his family. A couple of decades ago, Courtney Wallace Sr. was a star player on the Western Pennsylvania basketball scene. The older Wallace helped Perry reach the City League championship game in 1997 before going on to star at Duquesne, where the strong 6-4 point guard racked up 1,394 points to go along with 509 rebounds. Wallace led Duquesne in scoring during his senior season in 2001.

Wallace Sr., 45, said that his son first started playing basketball in third grade but that it was never something he ever really pushed him to do.

“It’s something that he wanted for himself,” the dad said. “I think that’s one of the reasons why he’s become the player he’s become.”

Dad said he sees a lot of similarities between him and his son, but there’s a noticeable difference, he said, too. It’s one that might pop into his head when he watches his son throw down a big dunk.

“We have a lot of the same mannerisms,” Courtney Sr. said. “The smile. I smiled in high school a lot. His competitiveness, too. But one of the biggest things is he’s more athletic than I ever was.”

One of the older Wallace’s former opponents agrees. Crummie played at Central Catholic, and he and Wallace Sr. both graduated from their respective high schools the same year.

“He was a very good player. An intense player, as well,” Crummie said. “They’re similar players, but the younger Courtney is a little more athletic.”

Neighborhood Academy’s Courtney Wallace goes up for a dunk against Clairton earlier this season. (Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

Marks has known the older Wallace for more than 30 years and has known young Courtney since he was a baby. Marks said that in addition to talent, it’s work ethic that sets Wallace Jr. apart from most other players.

“After his freshman year going into his sophomore year, he literally asked me for the key to the gym, and he’s had it ever since,” Marks explained.

And maybe always will.

“I’m keeping it,” the younger Wallace said, laughing.

Wallace Jr. often works out with his dad and sometimes with uncle Naron Jackson, who is the coach at Obama Academy. He also trains with Raj Simmons, whom the younger Wallace called a “grandfather figure to me.” Wallace Jr. said that Simmons helped raise Wallace Sr. as a child, and that he started working out both Wallaces when they were in fifth or sixth grade.

Of course, mom Janel Saban plays many important roles in the younger Wallace’s life also, among them owning the title of being his biggest fan, Wallace Jr. said. Wallace Jr. has an older sister, Ashley Branch, 29, who played high school basketball at Perry.

A four-year starter, Wallace Jr. picked up his first college scholarship offer from Fordham following his freshman season. South Carolina Upstate later offered, too. But Wallace Jr. must have wanted to remain a Bulldog, as he committed to the Yale Bulldogs while on an unofficial visit to the school last Feb. 12. Yale, which began to ramp up its recruitment of Wallace Jr. early in his junior season, reached the second round of the NCAA tournament last year and is guided by James Jones, the longest-tenured coach in the Ivy League. He has led the Bulldogs to six league titles and four NCAA tournament berths in his 26 seasons.

“I have an amazing relationship with the coaches,” Wallace Jr. said. “After the first time talking to them, I knew I wanted to stay around them. They just kept it real with me.”

Marks said that Wallace Jr.’s skill set might lead him to earning early playing time at Yale.

“The assistant coaches have already told me that there’s a good chance he’ll come in and start because of his defense and athleticism,” Marks said. “He wants to guard the best player every game. In addition to that, he averages nearly a triple-double.”

Playing against much older players shouldn’t be an issue for the younger Wallace, who is young for his grade. He is 17 and won’t turn 18 until June 16. This past year, he dazzled and was named Rookie of the Year of the D.R.E.A.M. Pro-Am League, a local summer league that is loaded with college and professional players.

Wallace Jr. became Neighborhood Academy’s all-time leading career scorer last season and could become a 2,000-point scorer this season. He’s sitting at 1,629 career points.

“I think the 2,000 is something that stems from having a long season,” he said. “Our goal is to win states. Two thousand points is achievable and a goal, but the real goal is to make the season as long as possible.”

Under the direction of Marks, the Neighborhood Academy program has come a long way in a short time. Wallace and classmates Shamar Simpson and Derick Hardeman have all played major roles in the quick ascent as each is a four-year starter.

“Their freshman year we took some beatings,” Marks said. “I remember early on when we had 38 turnovers in a game. But I knew that was the nucleus, and I knew that was the foundation. To see where they’ve come from to know where we’re supposed to win every game, it’s been such a turnaround.”

It’s an improbable turnaround that could see Neighborhood Academy win its first WPIAL and PIAA titles this season. And even though Wallace Jr., the team’s “numbers guy,” is used to working with larger digits, seeing a “1” in the column next to how many titles the program has won would be the ultimate way to end his high school career.

Said Wallace Jr., “That would be amazing.”

Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.

Brad Everett

Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.