By Colin Schofield 

The second annual women’s pro showcase tournament championship at the Danny Rumph Classic gave the fans at the Daskalakis Athletic Center a hard-fought, defensive battle. Team Harper came out hot to snatch to lead by double digits for much of the first half.

 But, Team Candy found its groove and spiced things up at the end. 

However, Team Harper stepped up and made plays on both sides of the ball when it mattered to pull out the 38-34 championship win. The catalyst in the second half was forward Jordan Wallace, who shone on both ends of the floor. Wallace finished with eight points and a team-high eight rebounds en route to MVP honors. 

“It just means everything to me [to win MVP],” Wallace said. “It just kind of gives me my motivation just to get back into [playing basketball] like I felt like I should have been doing. On a year-round basis, just staying in shape so I can continue to get the opportunity to play again if it comes to me.”

Wallace began the game supporting reigning MVP Brittany Hynkro, who put up seven of Team Harper’s 15 first-half points. Although she was not scoring the rock, Wallace made her presence felt in the paint and played a big part in holding Team Candy to just six points. 

The offensive output came in the second half for Wallace. 

When points were tough to come by for Team Harper, Wallace tied for a team high with six second-half points. She worked her magic in the paint to counter scoring runs from Team Candy. 

Wallace’s defensive impact was just as important in the second half, as she continued to make life miserable for anyone who tried to score in her paint. By the time the final buzzer sounded, Wallace and her teammates were champions and Wallace got to take home personal hardware. 

“My individual goal was just to come out here and make it impact however I can,” Wallace said. “The team goal was just to all stay together and just try to win.” 

This year was Wallace’s first time getting to play at the Rumph Classic and it gave her a chance to lace up the shoes again after taking time away from playing.

Wallace spent four years as a player at Rutgers, but her college career was ended by COVID-19. She played in Mexico for a little bit, even winning defensive player of the year and leading her league in rebounds. She decided to no longer pursue playing overseas and picked up coaching. 

She spent a year at South Carolina State before deciding to move closer to home and currently coaches at Winslow Township High School. Coaching helped Wallace realize that she missed playing and started getting involved with local women’s leagues. 

While this was just Wallace’s first time playing at the Rumph, she is now 1/1 on winning MVPs and championships. She also got to see up close what the tournament means to the community and is grateful she got to play and have an impact. 

“It’s a privilege to be here,” Wallace said. “You don’t get this opportunity by just waking up, it’s a blessing to be able to play the game and it’s some blessing to be able to showcase the skills in front of thousands of people. So it’s just a privilege to be a part. I can kind of see the impact just being here for two days. I see the impact it has on the community. It was just an honor.”