This feature originally appeared in the Winter edition of the Cal Sports Quarterly. The Cal Athletics flagship magazine features long-form sports journalism at its finest and provides in-depth coverage of the scholar-athlete experience in Berkeley. Printed copies are mailed four times a year to Bear Backers who give annually at the Bear Club level (currently $600 or more). For more information on how you can receive a printed version of the Cal Sports Quarterly at home, send an email to calbearbackers@berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-2427.

Michelle Johnson is so excited to see her son graduate from college that she was picking out her wardrobe seven months in advance.

Johnson's son is Cal star basketball player Tyrone Wallace, who will graduate this spring with a degree in social welfare. Wallace is the first member of the family to earn a college degree, and is doing so after turning down a chance to leave Cal early for the NBA Draft over the summer.

“I'm already thinking about what I am going to wear,” Johnson said. “I'm obviously going to wear Cal colors. I am going to be so emotional. You are going to see tears on my face. I am so happy for him.”

Wallace broke out as one of the top players in the Pac-12 last season after moving from the wing to the point guard position. He was a finalist for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award after finishing the year as the only Pac-12 player to place in the top-five in scoring, rebounding and assists. He was an All-Pac-12 first-team selection.

While he has been emerging as a standout player on the court, Wallace has been diligent in the classroom, as well. Much of the dedication to his studies comes from the influence of his grandfather, Charles Johnson, who served as a father figure while Wallace was growing up in Bakersfield.

Johnson, a former member of the Navy who went on to work in the oil fields, helped keep Wallace's focus in the classroom throughout his childhood and still serves as an inspiration to this day.

“He was like a father,” Wallace said. “We would always have conversations about the importance of getting the degree. He always told me that one day basketball is going to stop, and what am I going to do after that.”

After getting feedback from the NBA following last season, Wallace considered skipping his senior year and going pro. One of the main reasons he decided to remain at Cal was the promise he made to his grandfather that he would obtain his college degree.

Johnson passed away last summer, making Wallace's pledge even more important to him.

“I told him I would finish,” Wallace said. “It was important for him that I get my degree. He always talked about education. He helped me a lot with my homework growing up. I would call him up and tell him I need help, and he would come over. Education is just something that we always talked about.”

“He was very close to my dad,” Michelle Johnson said. “The one thing my father said before he passed away was that he wanted Tyrone to get that degree. It's just a joy to see Tyrone doing that. I know my father is still looking over him. If he was here right now, he'd be telling Tyrone how proud he is of him.”

Acknowledging he had someone keeping him on the right path, Wallace now serves in that role for his younger siblings. His younger sister, Diamond, is a senior in high school and plans on going to college in the fall. His younger brother, Da'Zion, is in eighth grade and playing basketball.

“I want to be an example to my family – to show them I might be good at basketball but the academics are just as important,” Wallace said. “Not everyone is going to get a scholarship to a university.”

Wallace said he regularly checks in with Diamond and Da'Zion to see what classes they are taking and make sure they are taking care of business in the classroom.

“He wants his brother and sister to follow in his footsteps, so he's setting that example,” Michelle Johnson said. “My daughter will call him for help with her homework. They both want to follow in his footsteps, and he's setting an example for them.”

Like so many young basketball players, Wallace has always dreamed of playing in the NBA. But when he was presented with the option of leaving school early last spring, it wasn't just the promise he made to his grandfather that kept him in Berkeley.

“As I looked at things last year, I only needed one more year to graduate,” Wallace said. “It seemed very close and reachable. I started thinking, I can actually do this. I've always taken school seriously. I hate getting bad grades.”

The splash Wallace made last season coincided with his shift to point guard, his more natural position in which he was recruited by former coach Mike Montgomery out of high school. But with All-Pac-12 point guard Justin Cobbs already entrenched on the team, Wallace spent his first two seasons at Cal playing on the wing.

Cobbs' departure also coincided with the arrival of new head coach Cuonzo Martin. Shortly after he took the job, Martin met with each player on the team individually. Wallace wasted no time expressing his interest in taking over the point guard duties.

“I was prepared to go in there and tell him I wanted to play point guard,” Wallace said. “I felt like I was ready to transition over to the point guard spot. I definitely feel comfortable at the '1' position. I've had the ball in my hands the majority of my career. I feel comfortable taking the lead and running the offense.”

Martin did indeed move Wallace to point guard, and the results were spectacular. He averaged 17.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. He entered his senior season as one of the top returning point guards in the country and was named to the preseason top-50 list for the 2016 John R. Wooden Award.

“I feel like I've improved every year, especially sophomore to junior year,” said Wallace, who is currently sidelined because of injury. “I feel like I've worked hard on my game, and I also credit the coaching staff for putting me in a new position, which I wanted to play.

While remaining at Cal will allow Wallace to fulfill a dream and keep the promise he made to his grandfather, he also can pursue his goal of getting the Bears back to the NCAA Tournament. The Bears advanced to the second round during his freshman year but missed the tourney in each of the past two seasons. With an excellent core of experienced and talented returners and top freshmen Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb, it could be a special spring for Wallace both on the court and in the classroom.

“I want to make the tournament,” Wallace said. “We have a lot of talent this year. I want to make a good run. That will depend on how hard we practice and how much we put into it.”