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SMSU MEN’S BASKETBALL: Allegiances cross paths for Wallace brothers at Central Region Final

Photo courtesy of David Merrill/Maryville Daily Forum Matt Wallace (left) and his younger brother Joel pose for a photo at the NCAA Central Region Tournament over the weekend. The two brothers’ teams face each other in the Central Region Championship game tonight at 7 p.m.

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Tuesday night is going to be an emotional one for the Wallace family out of Omaha, Nebraska — no matter the outcome.

Matt Wallace played at Northwest Missouri State through the 2014-15 season.

His younger brother, Joel is a student assistant coach for Southwest Minnesota State — the Bearcats’ opponent in the regional championship game. The game is set to tip off at 7 p.m.

Matt Wallace was named the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Defensive Player of the Year his senior season, as he had team-high 64 steals. He helped the Bearcats make the NCAA Tournament his junior and senior seasons and two berths in the MIAA Tournament championship game.

Northwest coach Ben McCollum said, to this day, Matt Wallace is the best defender he’s ever had on his team.

“He could guard anybody,” McCollum said. “He can guard one through five, it doesn’t matter. He’s as good as anybody defensively that I’ve ever coached.”

McCollum even admitted that the senior season Matt Wallace would make an intriguing matchup for current reigning MIAA Player of the Year Justin Pitts.

“He could guard him,” McCollum said. “Pitts would still get plenty of points, but he’s as good as I’ve ever coached.”

Wallace started 59 games at Northwest and twice landed on the MIAA’s all-defensive team. The one-time walk-on tallied 457 points, 410 assists 158 steals in four seasons playing after redshirting after playing at Bellevue East.

“Matt was one of those underdog guys,” Joe Wallace said of his brother. “He wasn’t heavily recruited. Northwest was the only D-II school that offered him. He taught me the value in hard work. It’s a little bit different because he was the player and I’m part of a coaching staff. But it’s about the hunter for the game. I want to get better for these guys, and continue to grow. He taught me that because he got better every year. He also taught me to enjoy the ride. He loved being at Northwest and I love being at Southwest.”

For Joel, this trip is almost like a second homecoming.

He spent a lot of time in Maryville when he was younger.

“I was a junior in high school, and when my high school basketball season was done, I remember coming up here and got to spend a weekend with my brother,” Joel said. “It wasn’t exactly the college life, but I got to see what a college house was like and hang out, and see what his life was like.

Joel continued, “It’s interesting to be back here because it’s the first time I’ve been back when I won’t be cheering for the Bearcats. Though, I can when we’re not playing them. I wish them the best. They’ve been so great to my family. I’ve always supported them, especially when my brother played.”

Matt, now teaching health at Millard Central Middle School in Omaha and helping coach high school basketball, has been back in Maryville in full force this weekend. He donned SMSU colors during the Mustangs’ games and switched to Bearcat green when his alma mater played Saturday and Sunday.

Matt is going to get the matchup he was hoping for Tuesday night.

“Both of those teams have had great years,” Matt said. “It’s not really a lose-lose situation. It’s a fun time. Just seeing Northwest being able to host for the first time ever — I take some pride in that after spending five of my years here trying my best to help build this culture and winning atmosphere.”

Joel is the youngest of three brothers. Matt is the second oldest, and James, now an assistant coach at NCAA Division III LeTourneau University in Longview Texas, is the oldest. James redshirted for SMSU for one season before joining the coaching staff.

Hayley, the youngest child, finished her freshman year at Northwest before taking time off and accepting a job at CHI Health Midlands — a hospital in Papillion, Nebraska. She is planning on returning to finish her degree at some point.

Joel Wallace is a major is a physical education major at the Marshall, Minnesota school.

He said the Northwest and SMSU programs share some of the same characteristics, but the biggest one is the overall atmosphere and feel of the team.

Having been around both programs a lot, he said that part is clear.

“They both very much have a family atmosphere and want their players to succeed after basketball,” he said. “It’s not all about basketball. We have great families that will be down here supporting our guys all weekend and Bearcat fans are the same way. I remember going up to Mankato for a full week and they had a great crowd. There’s a nice little rivalry there between the head coaches –(Brad) Bigler and (Ben) McCollum — they’ll probably never admit it, but they’re going for each other a little bit. It’s just like siblings — kind of like me and Matt. We’re going at it right now.”

During the Mustangs’ trip to Maryville, the team stopped at the home of David and Kelly Wallace, who provided food for the team on their way to Maryville.

Matt was present at the time and had no problem showing the Southwest players where his loyalties still lie.

“[Matt] had all his Northwest gear downstairs, so when the guys went down there to eat, they were kind of surrounded by it,” Joel said with a laugh. “He definitely did it on purpose. He put a big poster of himself right there in the middle of the room, so there was no ignoring it. It was great. The jokes that go on behind the scenes are great.

Joel added, “The ones you make during the games are fun, but there’s a lot more behind the scenes. That’s great because in 20 years, they’ll talk about the memories that happened on the road trips more so than what happened during the game.”

All three brothers can claim they learned a lot about the game from David, who has coached high school basketball off-and-on for close to 20 years. He is currently the boys basketball coach at Bellevue East.

David and Kelly, who have hosted both teams for meals (large amounts of pasta is a go-to), will have a rooting interest on both sides Tuesday night, which doesn’t make things any easier.

“It’s exciting, and it’s a great opportunity for both of our kids, but it’s difficult at the same time,” Kelly said.

Much like Joel, this is will be David’s first time in Bearcat Arena where he isn’t hoping the hosts will win. Joel being on the Mustangs staff has an impact on the parents.

“This will be the first time we’ve been here when we’re not cheering for the Bearcats,” he said. “We’ll probably support our son who’s sitting on one of the benches. It will be a sweet and sour night.”

Kelly said she owns a shirt with both team’s colors and logos on it, and that she will be wearing it Tuesday.

Kelly and David have supported both programs, and gotten to know both coaches. The Wallaces are a basketball family, but Bigler said it doesn’t stop there.

“His parents are wonderful people,” he said. “They have a great faith that allows them to connect with a lot of people. They’re those people that you enjoy being around. They are always thinking of others. Those values have trickled down into their kids. We’re very thankful to have them as part of our programs.”

Come Tuesday night, Matt will be back in Bearcat green. It wasn’t a hard decision.

“It’s not tough at all,” he said. “I think it’s harder for my parents than it is for me. Joel is family, but we can disagree for a couple of hours.”

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