Athlete of the Week: Keaton Wallace

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Keaton Wallace brings the ball up to make a lay-up. Wallace is the second half of Conference USA’s highest scoring duo.

Julia Maenius, Assistant Sports Editor

Junior guard Keaton Wallace, part of Conference-USA’s highest scoring duo, continues to lead the team alongside Jhivvan Jackson for the UTSA men’s basketball team.

The business finance major has been on the court since the age of four, preparing for his future as a Roadrunner.

“I took business finance to learn how to invest and get into stocks, so that is what I plan on getting into after college,” Wallace said.

Wallace was named to the All-Conference USA team for the current season after ranking fourth in the league for points per game in his sophomore season.

“My family inspired me to keep playing,” Wallace said. “I have older cousins that played and older uncles too, so it is in my blood.”

Wallace has been named Conference- USA player of the week multiple times for his efforts in the backcourt and has been etching away at UTSA school records since his start on the team in 2017.

“I chose UTSA because I feel like they took a chance on me,” Wallace said. “I wasn’t highly recruited outside of high school, and I felt like they were being honest, and they were a good group of guys, so that was the main focus for me in my recruiting.”

Coming from Dallas, Wallace has started in every game for the past two seasons for the ‘Runners.

“The recruiting process was kind of slow,” Wallace said. “I didn’t really start getting heavily recruited until late senior year. I feel like everything worked out good for me, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

When asked about his pre-game rituals, Wallace takes an hour nap to recharge before he steps onto the court.

“A hobby that I have outside of basketball is that I like to make beats,” Wallace said. “I’m kind of creative and I have a little art in me.”

With lots of inspiration in his life, Wallace’s athletic role model comes from his family.

“My biggest inspiration would be my big cousin Terrel Harris,” Wallace said. “Growing up he was one of my big cousins I saw on TV playing at Oklahoma State, and he got a chance to play in the NBA. I wanted to do the same things he did.”

Reflecting on his career thus far, Wallace credits a matchup against Old Dominion University to be the best moment in his career to date.

“The most monumental moment would be last year when we played Old Dominion here, and we came back from an 18-point lead,” Wallace said. “That was crazy. It was the best moment of my life.”

Averaging 18.5 points per game, he claimed a season high of 31 points against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and recorded 121 3-pointers in his sophomore season, surpassing the record of 96 for a single season.

“You never know what is going to happen,” Wallace said. “We are going to fight until the end, and we are going to play until the end. We don’t have quitters on our team, and that is what I like about UTSA.”

Wallace has stepped up his game on and off the court, fulfilling the leadership role as an upperclassman on the team while adapting his game to contribute to the team dynamic and goals.

“I feel like I have stepped up a lot,” Wallace said. “Before, I used to be a quiet guy, laid back, chill, but now I have to add a part to my game which is being more vocal. Being a vocal leader is important to me.”