Bringing out brilliance: Ben Wallace's long road to the league makes his stardom all the more spectacular

NOBODY KNEW HOW GOOD BEN Wallace was going to be in 2001-02. The only given about this blue-collar player was that he came to play every game. But in his sixth NBA season, Wallace blossomed into one of the league's best success stories. And better yet, his penchant for doing the dirty work in the lane has made Wallace the NBA's most feared defender and rebounder.

Wallace came into the league as an undrafted free agent. He kicked around with the Washington Bullets and Wizards for three seasons, and then was dealt to the Orlando Magic.

In 2000, after the Detroit Pistons realized that superstar Grant Hill wasn't going to finish his career in the Motor City, the club sent him to the Magic for Wallace and point guard Chucky Atkins. Wallace and Atkins were considered little more than filler in exchange for a prize like Hill.

The two years since have turned everything around. The trade's been a steal--for Detroit.

Wallace had shown flashes of brilliance. The 6`9", 240-pound power forward was an able shot-blocker and rebounder, and used his hops for a few quick putbacks. But last season, his inside play, hustle, and determination were big reasons why the Pistons not only broke back into the playoffs, but became a force in the East.

"Ben gave us everything," Pistons coach Rick Carlisle says. "He hit the boards, played good defense, and picked up some key baskets inside. He didn't do anything fancy. He just worked very hard every game. He never got discouraged. He kept improving his game each year. And now his hard work is really paying off."

Wallace averaged 7.6 ppg, 13.0 rpg, and 3.48 bpg in 2001-02. He was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year and was BASKETBALL DIGEST'S Defender of the Year and All-NBA Second Team center. This summer, he was a member of Team USA at the World Championships.

"I really appreciate everything," Wallace says. "It's nice to get the recognition, but I never set out to win any awards. I just wanted to help the team win. As far as my career is concerned, I knew I had to work a lot harder than most players. I'm just fortunate to be in Detroit. It's certainly the right place for me."

Wallace, 28, was born in White Hall, Ala. He was a terrific three-sport athlete at Central High School in Hayneville, Ala., participating in football, basketball, and track and field.

"I had a pretty good high school career," Wallace says. "It's just that I didn't have any scholarship offers to play basketball. I had [actually] thought about playing football in college."

During his senior year, Wallace attended Charles Oakley's basketball camp in Livingston, Ala., where Oakley was impressed with his skills and work ethic. "Oak really pushed me," Wallace says. "We played a lot of basketball. He made me work hard just to get my shot off."

Oakley began to take a deep interest in Wallace's career. He helped Wallace find a spot at Cuyahoga Community College in Ohio. After two years of juco basketball, Oakley recommended him to his alma mater, Virginia Union, a Division II school in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

"There are a lot of good junior college players," Wallace says. "The competition is really good at that level. I thought I did pretty well at Cuyahoga. I stayed in contact with Oak. He told me about Virginia Union. I knew Oak had gone there, but they also had sent Terry Davis and A.J. English to the NBA, too. Virginia Union had won some national championships. Plus, they had a great coach in Dave Robbins." Wallace averaged 12.5 ppg and 10.5 rpg his senior year, leading the Panthers to the NCAA Division II Final Four.

"I can really identify with Ben," says Darrell Armstrong, the Magic guard who played for Fayetteville State in the CIAA. "We both played in the same league. We didn't get a lot of publicity. But the CIAA has a history of producing good players, and Ben is definitely one of them."

Carlisle believes NBA scouting is crucial to finding players like Wallace. And Wallace hasn't been the Pistons' only unheralded player--Atkins and Michael Curry also went undrafted.

"Obviously, these guys were overlooked by a lot of teams," Carlisle says. "That's why teams invest so much money in scouting. You're talking about three guys who helped us get to the playoffs."

Detroit is poised for another trip to the playoffs because Carlisle, the BASKETBALL DIGEST and NBA Coach of the Year, knows how to utilize his talent.

He has an interesting mix of players. Veterans Clifford Robinson and Corliss Williamson give the Pistons a great deal of experience up front. New additions like Richard Hamilton (acquired from the Washington Wizards for Jerry Stackhouse), Chauncey Billups (a free agent pickup from the Minnesota Timberwolves), and rookie Tayshaun Prince should raise the talent level for a club already bright with minor stars.

Last year, Wallace's every effort on the court impressed. His blocked shots and rebounds led to easy fastbreak points. Offensively, he hit the boards and got the ball out to the open shooters.

"I tried to find the open guy," Wallace says. "I got Cliff, Chucky, or Corliss. The big thing is everybody stepped up. We all had our moments."

Wallace is hoping to have some even bigger moments this year. He has a great chance to play in his first All-Star Game.

"I really don't think about that," Wallace says. "It would be a great accomplishment getting named to the All-Star team. But I just want to make the Pistons better. That means more to me."

RELATED ARTICLE: What a difference two years makes.

IN NBA ANNALS, AUGUST 3, 2000 WAS to forever be known as the day Grant Hill joined the Orlando Magic. Ben Wallace and Chucky Atkins would be nothing more than answers to a trivia question, filler players to placate depressed Detroit Pistons brass. Who knew that two years later twice-injured Hilt was turning out to be the booby prize?

In two seasons in Orlando, Hill has played in 18 games, averaging 35.8 minutes, 8.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 0.72 steals, 0.33 blocks, and 16.1 points. Wallace and Atkins, starters on the East's second-best team in 2001-02, have played in 320 games and averaged approximately 33 minutes, 15 rebounds, five assists, two steals, three blocks, and 19 points between them.

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COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group