Name: Talia Wall
Age: 16
Year: Junior
Winter Sport: Basketball
Position: Point Guard
Years on Varsity: 2 years
Height & Weight: 5’5”, 128 lbs.
Experience: 6 Years (started playing competitive basketball in sixth grade)
Talia Wall has been named the Official Richmond County Female Athlete of the Week presented by McNair Auto Sales. A member of the Lady Raiders varsity basketball team, Wall has had an impressive stretch over the last week to help Richmond defeat heated rival Scotland High School last Friday, earning her this week’s recognition.
RSHS Academics: Unlike most athletes featured, Wall doesn’t actually attend Richmond Senior High School. Instead, she attends the district’s Early College located on the campus of Richmond Community College. When she graduates from high school in 2019, Wall will not only walk with her high school diploma in hand, but she’ll have also earned an Associates in Science degree, too.
“I believe attending the Early College is a great opportunity,” Wall said. “Getting to earn my two-year degree when I graduate (high school) is a really big thing. It keeps me motivated and I think if people have the chance to go, they should.”
Noting that she’s a A/B student, Wall is currently taking several of her general education courses at RichmondCC. They include Chemistry 152, English 112 and Math 172.
RSHS Sports: While Wall has proven to be an asset on the Lady Raiders basketball team, she has also been a staple on the track and field team during the last two seasons. With anticipation of participating again this spring, Wall qualified for states as a freshman in the 100-meter hurdles.
“Even though I didn’t place, it was a good opportunity,” Wall explained. “I had a lot of fun running (at states) and it was a nice experience.”
Aside from the 100-meter hurdles, Wall also runs the 300-meter hurdles, and serves as the third leg in the 4×1 and 4×2 relay teams. In field events, Wall does the long jump and high jump.
As a freshman and sophomore, she also played on the junior varsity volleyball team, and plans “to play again next year” when she’s a senior.
Extracurricular Activities/Volunteering: Between her college-level courses and playing multiple sports for Richmond, Wall admitted that she hasn’t had a lot of extra time to join clubs or organizations at the high school. But that hasn’t stopped her from giving a helping hand in the community.
“At my church, Stelly’s Tabernacle in Rockingham, I’ve helped volunteer at the homeless shelter,” Wall said. “I’ve helped feed them and take care of them. And I just like helping older people and younger people (in general).”
Wall commented that she has also spent time helping at a local rest homes to give back to those in need.
Hobbies: In terms of what she likes to do in her spare time, Wall admitted that she likes to do “normal high school” things. Among her favorite hobbies is playing pickup basketball with her friends, which is easy to believe as basketball is clearly one of her greatest passions.
“I also like to eat and sleep,” Wall chuckled.
Interesting Fact: For her interesting fact, Wall explained that she enjoys photography. It’s something that she has taken up, and more specifically, she likes taking photos of those she loves.
“I love taking photos of my family,” Wall said. “And I hang the photos around my room to remind me of my family.”
Another interesting fact that Wall shared is that she loves watching prank videos on the internet. Her favorite group to watch is a pair of brothers named Ar’mon and Trey, who do prank videos and also sing.
College Aspirations: With still a year and a half before she graduates from Early College, Wall already knows exactly what she wants to do – be a nurse practitioner. More specifically, working with children.
“I’ve always wanted to be a nurse practitioner because I’ve always had a good connection with children,” Wall explained. “If I can uplift them, or raise their spirits if they’re sick, that would allow me to help them.”
She further explained that she plans on enrolling in CNA classes at RichmondCC over the summer to help her get a jumpstart on her career.
In terms of which schools she’s looking at, Wall has three picked out: the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, East Carolina University and Winston-Salem State University. Wall noted that all three pique her interest because they, “have really great nursing programs.”
And Wall isn’t discounting herself as a college athlete either. While it’s too soon to tell, she said she’s considering pursuing basketball or track at the collegiate level.
Mentor: Each week, the RO asks its athlete of the week to explain who her mentor is. For Wall, she looks to her mother, Melanie Baldwin, and stepfather, Tyrea Gilmore, as her biggest supporters.
“Both my mom and my stepdad talk with me and help me make the best decisions,” Wall noted. “They never let me quit, even when I’ve wanted to. And both of them push me to believe in everything I do.”
Player of the Week Stats: Wall has made a great point guard for the Lady Raiders this season, working in conjunction with sophomore teammate, and former RO athlete of the week, Allexis Swinney. Though the Lady Raiders are off to a slow start with a 4-7 overall record, Wall has been a part of the team’s growth.
Not only does she run the point well, Wall has consistently been one of Richmond’s top point scorers on the season. Last Friday, in a pivotal Sandhills Athletic Conference matchup with rival Scotland High School, Wall made several key plays late in the fourth quarter to stunt a would-have-been Lady Scots’ comeback.
Wall started the quarter by hitting one of two free throws to push the lead to 42-32 with roughly 6 minutes remaining. Moments later, Wall received a half-court pass and hit an eight-foot jumper off the glass to ignite an 8-0 Richmond run. On the ensuing Lady Raiders possession, Wall dribbled coast-to-coast for a layup to extend the lead to 11 points with 1:10 left in regulation.
She finished the night with 11 points, and helped secure a 54-43 Richmond win.
Despite the 4-7 start to the season, what’s the season been like for you and the team?
“Even through a lot of tough losses, it’s been a pretty good season,” Wall said. “The team has really come together, grown a lot, and we now have a good connection.
“We’ve been pushing each other hard to do better,” she continued. “We talk and motivate each other and know we have to have a strong ending.”
Wall further explained that during the loss to Seventy-First High School on January 9, the first half was not the team’s best performance. But after talking during halftime, they “figured out how to play,” which is something she’s proud of even with the loss.
What needs to happen for Richmond to make a late season push?
“Our defense has gotten a lot better and developed so much,” Wall commented. “Now it’s all about the offense.
“We need to keep putting up shots,” she added. “Coach McDonald always tells us to start with a layup, and eventually our shots will fall. We’ve come a long way, but we need to continue to get better.”
Coaches Corner: Lady Raiders head coach Rosalind McDonald noted that Wall has been a shining star for her team’s development, as well as a vocal leader on the court.
“Talia’s main role is to be a leader on the court,” McDonald said. “She has really stepped up her leadership on the court. And she really does anything that we ask of her, whether it’s running the point guard, playing tough defense on a specific player on the other team, or just getting her (teammates) into the game and telling them what needs done.
“She’s a voice on the court,” McDonald added. “She’s done a really good job of that, and I imagine she’ll continue to grow the rest of the season and into her senior year.”
Look for Wall on the Richmond Observer’s flagship news program LIVE AT 5, as she’ll be in studio for Thursday’s edition.
