Sophomore point guard Wallace Prather, left, gets instructions from Cornell basketball coach Scott Thompson during a recent game. Charles Harrington/University Photography
At Caroline Elementary School, in a second-grade class where Pokémon expertise is discouraged, the pupils sometimes get tall visitors to read tall tales.
Cornell sophomore basketball player Wallace Prather and some of his teammates paid such a visit to the class last spring for the Dream-to-Read program. While Prather hasn't made the NBA (he'd like to try some day, if given the chance), the second graders knew something he might not: He's already big time.
The youngsters asked all kinds of questions. They wanted to know if Prather likes basketball. (He does.) How tall he stands. (He's 5-foot-9 -- short for a basketball player). But what they didn't learn is that the Big Red point guard is not only a proven leader on the basketball court but also has been recognized for what he can do off the court with a Meinig Family Cornell National Scholarship, based on his leadership potential, academic excellence and service to his home, school and community.
Prather grew up in the shadow of Stone Mountain, in Decatur, Ga., basking in the warmth of the southern sun. Ever since he became a high school student, he said, he set his sites on an Ivy League education.
"With an Ivy degree, you're pretty much set," he pointed out.
Why was he thinking Ivy? Well, thanks to the influence of a cheerleader at his school who befriended him, he learned the virtues of a top education. That former cheerleader and friend, Aaliyah Shafiq, is now a senior at Harvard University. "She used to talk to me," said Prather. "She has her head on straight. She set me straight."
Aspiring to have his own business one day, Prather majors in applied economics and business management in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Using that degree, he hopes one day to own his own supermarket or computer-related business -- or maybe, he says, a combination of the two.
But for now, he thinks mainly about homework and hoops. Last year as a freshman, he led the basketball team with 90 assists, 49 steals and 898 minutes played. This resourceful, resilient point guard averaged 12.8 points per game and holds the all-time Cornell record for most points scored in a season by a freshman -- 332. This season, he seems to be picking up where he left off.
With that much talent, it's no wonder he was heavily recruited in high school. Twice he became a USA Today All-Georgia honorable mention selection. His Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team won two national championships and eight state titles, and he played on two Black Coaches International championship teams. Add to that his high school academic credentials -- he maintained an A average -- and it's not too surprising that top academic and sports-minded colleges were after Prather.
He chose Cornell. The Big Red coaches had spotted him playing in an AAU tournament. "Wallace caught our eye, and we found out he was a very good student, good person and as we talked to him, we learned he was interested," said Scott Thompson, Cornell's head basketball coach. "We were one of the early teams that began recruiting him; and we had a good relationship with him and his family."
And Prather's the kind of leader the coach looks for. "Our guys have character, they have a strong work ethic," said Thompson. "To be on our team, players have to have their priorities in the right order and believe in the education that Cornell can give them. Wallace is an outstanding young guy, has excellent leadership capabilities and a very bubbly personality. He fit right in."
But even though he's now based in upstate New York, he hasn't forgotten his former mentors in Georgia. When Prather goes home on breaks, he makes a point to visit an influential high school English teacher, Robert Franceour, who he said, "Tells it like it is." Franceour follows his basketball career at Cornell by way of the Internet.
Along with academic prowess and presence on the basketball court, Prather also has loaded up on something else -- nicknames. His friends and family have several to choose from, for example: "Big Butter," "Butter," "Big AB," "Lil' Wa," "Sweetie," "Shawty," "Wally P.," "Wa P.," and "Fat Boys."
Off the court, Prather also is aware of his position and wants to give back to the community. He says he enjoys being a positive role model through activities like the basketball team's Dream-to-Read program, which has players visiting local elementary school classrooms to read books to students.
"The kids really look up to us," Prather said.
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