East Chicago Central coach Alaa Mroueh believes senior Yamauree Wallace’s breakthrough is imminent.
Wallace has already been a productive player for the Cardinals. The 6-foot-6 guard/forward averaged 11.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.1 steals last season.
But Wallace, too, believes he can build on what he has already accomplished.
“I’ve been working on my jump shot more,” he said. “I’ve been working on also being more vocal on the court. I’ve been working on blending with my teammates more.”
Mroueh has been part of Wallace’s development throughout his high school career. Wallace began on the junior varsity team as a freshman but earned a midseason callup to the varsity team. He wound up averaging 8.4 points and 5.0 rebounds for the Cardinals.
“I coached Yamauree as a freshman when he was on JV for half the season, and I told him every day, ‘You don’t belong on this level at all,’” Mroueh said. “It was special to primarily coach him on the JV as a freshman and then move up with him and take over midseason his sophomore year and pick up right where we left off.”
If Wallace plays to his potential, Mroueh figures the Cardinals will have an elite duo. Dominique Murphy, a 6-5 senior guard/forward, was an Indiana Junior All-Star last season after averaging 20.9 points and 9.4 rebounds. Murphy is within striking distance of the program’s career scoring record held by E’Twaun Moore, the 2007 Mr. Basketball runner-up and Class 4A state champion who became an icon at Purdue and put together a solid NBA career that included two seasons with the Chicago Bulls.
Murphy knows Wallace’s potential.
“It’s fun playing with him,” Murphy said. “I’ve been playing with him for a long time, so we have chemistry. The stuff I lack, he picks up.”
In terms of duos in recent East Chicago history, Mroueh compared Murphy and Wallace to 2016 Indiana All-Star Damien Jefferson and 2017 Indiana All-Star Jermaine Couisnard, both of whom played at the Division I level.
“That’s a big reason why we want to advance deep in the tournament this year,” Mroueh said. “You advance deep, college scouts come out. When you have guys like Dominique and Yamauree, they really deserve to play at a really high level, and one day they will. I’m really hoping schools take notice of both Dominique and Yamauree’s approach to the game.”
Mroueh also likes the way Wallace and Murphy have complementary games.
“The biggest thing that makes both of them special is how versatile they are amongst each other,” Mroueh said. “He picks up in areas he lacks, and he picks up in areas he lacks, and together they form one of the best one-two punches in the state. They’ve both developed into wing guys, which puts a lot of pressure on defenses.
“Last year, what really started to form is how they got going in fourth quarters and how they took turns closing out games. That makes it very hard on teams.”
Since then, Wallace and Murphy have further enhanced their games.
“Yamauree’s ability to shoot the ball this year has really improved, and Dom has improved on his jump shot too,” Mroueh said. “If Yamauree’s shooting the ball really well, that opens up a lot for Dom inside, and vice versa.”
Wallace and Murphy were instrumental in East Chicago winning a sectional title last season for the first time since 2017. The Cardinals, who move to Class 3A along with the likes of West Side, open this season Saturday against Bowman.
“Having a dynamic duo like this can hopefully lead us to greater success this year,” Mroueh said. “It’s going to be special to see. It’s fun to coach. They’re super talented guys who are fun to watch, and I think they have a chip on their shoulder.”
It’s also personal for Mroueh.
“It’s a heartfelt moment for me going into this season with them because I’ve known them since they’ve been in middle school,” he said of Wallace and Murphy. “Just knowing these guys for so many years and seeing the positive impact they’ve had not only on this program but on me, I owe it to them as well. It’s fun coaching talented players. But those two guys especially mean so much more to me than just basketball players or guys I’ve coached.
“It’s an honor to coach two guys like that and guys who I’ve known for a while now and formed a bond with. Now they’re seniors, and it’s kind of a full-circle moment. We came in together when I was an assistant, and now I’m getting ready to coach their last season here. I’m looking for them to make some history here.”
