Lawrence "J.R." Wallace III enters his 10th season as an assistant coach at GVSU for the 2023-24 campaign, having joined the Laker coaching staff prior to the 2014-15 season.
During Wallace's time on the Laker coaching staff, Grand Valley State is 150-104 overall. The Lakers finished 19-13 (10-10 GLIAC) and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nearly a decade in the 2018-19 campaign.
Over the past five years, GVSU has totaled 17 All-GLIAC selections and placed a player on the 10-member GLIAC All-Defensive Team in eight of the ten seasons. Grand Valley State has appeared in the conference tournament in each of the past eight years, cutting down the nets in 2019 Tournament to become the first-ever 7-seed to win the bracket.
The Lakers posted an 18-12 record and 11-7 GLIAC mark during the 2022-23 season and made a GLIAC Tournament appearance for the eighth consecutive year. Marius Grazulis averaged 12.2 points per game and was named to the All-GLIAC first team. Kingsley Okanu and Trevor Smith were named to the All-GLIAC defensive team. Okanu averaged ten points per game and shot 52% from the field, while Smith was second on the team with 66 assists and averaged one steal per game.
GVSU went 17-11 during the 2021-22 season and made a GLIAC Tournament appearance. Jake Van Tubergen averaged 17.2 points per game and led the GLIAC in rebounding at 10.6 rebounds per game and was named to the All-GLIAC First Team. Christian Negron led the GLIAC in shooting percentage, making 66.7 percent of his shots, and was named to the All-GLIAC Second Team. Negron and Deleon Brown were named to the GLIAC All-Defensive Team.
The shortened 2020-21 season saw GVSU finish 12-7. The Lakers made a GLIAC Tournament appearance and beat Lake Superior State in the first round before falling to Michigan Tech in the second contest of the tournament. After the season ended, GVSU had two players honored on the All-GLIAC First Team in Jake Van Tubergen and Christian Negron. Negron was also named to the All-Defensive Team and earned the most All-Defense votes.
The 2019-2020 season saw the Lakers win their most games in a season since 2007-08 (23-7) and won the GLIAC South Division championship with a 15-5 league mark. His tutalidge led to three all-conference performers, including first team All-GLIAC and NABC All-American Jake VanTubbergen. Christian Negron and Jeremiah Ferguson each earned all second team honors.
The 2018-19 Lakers were led by Hunter Hale, who was first Team All-GLIAC after leading the Lakers in scoring with 17 ppg, and Jake Van Tubbergen a second Team All-GLIAC honoree at 14.3 ppg… The Lakers had a historic run to the Conference Tournament Championship, becoming the first 7-seed to ever win the Tournament while upsetting the top three seeds in the process. The Lakers returned to the Top 25 polls for the first time this season, coming in at No. 24 in the D2CCA poll... The Lakers also had 3 Top 25 victories, all on the road, including a win over No. 7 Ashland for GVSU'sfirst road win against a national top-10 team since 2003.
The 2017-18 team led the GLIAC in rebounding margin (+7) while finishing second in rebounds per game... Hunter Hale knocked down 67 three-pointers, the eighth-most in a single season in GVSU history, to earn All-GLIAC second team honors along with Jake Van Tubbergen, who also earned GLIAC Freshman of the Year.
In 2016-17, the Lakers led the GLIAC in points per game allowed (67.4), opponents' field goal percentage (39.2), and rebounding margin (+6.1). The team's 39.2 opponents' shooting percentage was tied for second-best in all of Division II, while GVSU finished 19th in the country in scoring defense.
GVSU was second in the league in points per game allowed (68.1) and opponents' field goal percentage (40.9) in 2015-16, while leading the league with a +6.9 rebounding margin, as well as free throws made (16.9) and attempted (24.7) per game.
Grand Valley State also led the conference in free throws made (19.8) and attempted (26.9) during Wallace's first year, while ranking second and third in opponents' three-point percentage (32.9) and field goal percentage (41.7), respectively in 2014-15.
Originally from Muskegon and now living in Wyoming, Wallace has worked at a number of youth camps, clinics, and through the AAU basketball level. He most recently worked with the Grand Rapids Storm AAU team and as a youth advocate at Wyoming Junior High School.
Wallace had a productive career at Central Michigan, which was capped off by a strong senior season. After playing in 62 games during his first three years at CMU, he took his game to the next level as a senior in 2002-03. Named an All-Mid American Conference Honorable Mention selection, Wallace averaged 14.3 points per game and knocked down 59 three-pointers.
He had terrific shooting percentages that season, making 49.5 percent of his overall attempts, connecting on 39.9 percent of his triple tries, and shooting 86.9 percent at the free throw line. The free throw figure is the sixth-best in a single season in Central Michigan history. Wallace’s 105 assists in 2002-03 led the Chippewas, while he also was the CMU leader in steals during the 2001-02 (1.2 steals per game) and 2002-03 (1.6) seasons.
A four-year letterwinner at Central Michigan, Wallace won a pair of MAC championships in 2001 and 2003 and earned MAC All-Tournament Team honors in 2003. He was a captain on the 2003 Chippewa team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
He enjoyed a very nice professional career, playing in Argentina, Chile, Spain, and Venezuela, where he enjoyed a few league championships and all-star game appearances. During his high school career at Reeths-Puffer High School, Wallace was a First Team All-State selection and finished sixth in the voting for Michigan’s Mr. Basketball in 1999. He ended up as the school’s all-time leading scorer.
Wallace is the brother of former Laker players Jerry (2003-06) and Marcus (2004-05). In 2012, J.R., Jerry, and Marcus co-founded the Wallace Brothers Basketball Youth Camp in Muskegon.
In 2013, J.R. completed his Bachelor of Science degree from Grand Valley State and received his Master's degree from GVSU in May 2016. JR and his wife Angel have two wonderful sons, Lawrence Wallace IV (L.J.) (7) and Jrue Wallace (2).
