MUSKEGON TWP. - J.R. Wallace’s amazing 1,352 career points stood as the all-time record for the Reeths-Puffer boys basketball team for 25 years.
It was finally broken in February by R-P senior Jaxson Whitaker, a three-point specialist just like Wallace was.
Now Wallace is coming back to R-P with the goal of creating some new records, in a different way, as the new head varsity basketball coach.
Wallace, 42, who has been an assistant coach for the Grand Valley State University men’s basketball team for the past 10 seasons, will replace Nate Aardema, who recently resigned to spend more time with his family.
He will also serve as Assistant Athletic Director and Dean of Students at the high school.
Wallace, his wife Angel and their two sons – LJ, 8 and Jrue, 2 - will be moving to the R-P area soon from their current home in the Grand Rapids area.
The public is invited to a meet-and-greet reception for Wallace and his family on May 15 at 6 p.m. at Dan Beckeman Arena, the Rockets’ home gym.
For Wallace, the opportunity to come home and guide his old team closes a circle that started in the gym at the old Reeths-Puffer High School and included a great playing career at Central Michigan University, eight seasons of playing professional basketball overseas, and finally a great coaching gig at GVSU.
Coach J.R. Wallace in a GVSU photo.
He said he had been thinking about getting out of the college game and looking for other opportunities when the R-P job opened up.
"I let a couple of people know I was possibly interested in getting out of the college game, and my circle of people at Reeths-Puffer is so big, the next thing I know I was contacted and I was sitting down for an interview.
“I had to do some thinking. I knew there would be so many things changing, leaving a great university and going to a high school program that’s going to be rebuilding a little bit after the graduation of some great players. But then I thought about Reeths-Puffer, what it’s been to me and my relationship with the school, and that made it a lot easier.
“Ultimately I decided it was a great opportunity. I am very excited about having the chance to cultivate a great program and be part of the community that I grew up in as a leader.”
Reeths-Puffer Athletic Director Cliff Sandee was excited to announce the news on Tuesday morning.
"Coach Wallace is our guy," Sandee said a media release. "His presence will instill stability, credibility, and accountability within our school community. He is a goal-driven leader with a strong focus on building meaningful relationships."
Wallace in action during his playing days at Reeths-Puffer.
Wallace played three full seasons of varsity basketball at Reeths-Puffer – 1996-97 through 98-99 – and piled up a record number of career points under former coaches Tim McDougle and Jim Tate. He was a Class A All-State selection in both his junior and senior years.
He ended up breaking the R-P career scoring record that was previously held by Bryan Scott, and before that Wallace’s uncle, former R-P and University of Michigan standout Mark Hughes.
“When I reflect on it, my uncle had it for 14 years, then I had it for like 25 years – that’s a long time!” he said.
Wallace remembers his last R-P team being good and having a winning record, despite not being in a conference.
“We didn’t have more than five losses or something like that (in his senior year), but we were out of the Seaway Conference by then and it was weird being an independent team,” he said.
Wallace also remembers losing to Muskegon in the district championship game in 1999, something more modern R-P teams can relate to.
Wallace, his wife Angel and their two sons.
“We had just beaten them a few weeks earlier and we felt good about our chances, but those were great times,” he said.
Wallace went on to play four seasons at Central Michigan University, including the last two as a starter and his senior year as a team captain.
He had a breakout season in 2002-03, averaging 14.3 points per game and knocking down 59 three-pointers.
The Chippewas made the NCAA tournament and advanced to the second round in his senior season, and Wallace received honorable mention All Mid-American Conference honors.
Wallace went on to play eight seasons of professional basketball in Argentina, Chile, Spain and Venezuela and said he learned a great deal from his experience with different cultures.
“I loved it,” he said. “I tell my wife all the time, if we ever leave the U.S. we are going to Spain. I love Spain! I learned how to read and write in Spanish, and the experience cleared a lot of blind spots for me.
Marvin Moore, who will be a key returning player for R-P next season.
"I remember going around introducing myself as one of the Americans on the team, and the radio announcer came up to me and said, in broken English, ‘I’m American, too. You are North American and I am South American.’ That kind of put things into perspective. I learned to see things from different vantage points."
Wallace came back to the U.S. to complete his bachelors degree and earn his masters degree at GVSU, and spent two years as a graduate assistant coach with the men’s basketball team before being hired as a full-time assistant.
He served under two head coaches at Grand Valley – Ric Wesley, then Cornell Mann for the past two seasons.
“I worked with two really good head coaches and was able to see how they do it,” Wallace said. “I helped Coach Mann get started in his first two seasons. It’s been a lot of learning – but you are always eager to have your own program.”
Wallace has one year of head coaching experience, as the girls varsity coach at Wyoming Rogers High School in 2012. This will be his first experience as a head coach with boys, and he can’t wait to get started.
“I’m excited about coming home and helping the guys become the best players and the best young men they can be,” he said.