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A college basketball player who dreamed of one day playing professionally has died after she was involved in a rollover crash in southern California's Cajon Pass.
Jhenéy Wallace, a rising sophomore at Victor Valley College, was pronounced dead at the scene on Wednesday, July 15, when authorities found the Hyundai Veloster she was traveling in had overturned and traveled down a steep, 80-foot embankment. She was 20.
"She was a great daughter," Jhenéy's mom, Tamara Wallace, told KTLA. "She was my best friend, my first-born. Always kept me smiling and encouraged me to do things. She was the best sister to her little sister and brother, very bubbly, always happy and loving."
Tamara added, "She wanted so much out of life. I thank everyone who has reached out to me and for all their prayers and support. I just want to keep my daughter's name alive."
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Tamara told the outlet that she had been calling Jhenéy in the time after the accident, but her daughter was not picking up. Eventually, an officer on the scene answered the phone and told her what had happened.
Jhenéy was one of three people found inside the car, which was smoking after the crash, eyewitnesses told Victor Valley Newsgroup. The other two individuals, identified as a friend of Jhenéy's and the friend's mother, were taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Though details around the crash have not been released, it is not believed that Jhenéy was driving the car.
Jhenéy was also a member of her school's volleyball team and she aspired to one day play in the WNBA, her mom told KTLA.
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"Our Victor Valley College Women's Basketball family continues to mourn the loss of one of our own, Jhenéy Wallace," her team said in a statement via Instagram on Thursday, July 16. "Jhenéy was more than a teammate - she was a friend, a daughter, a sister, cousin, granddaughter, and a cherished member of our Ram family whose impact will never be forgotten."
Jhenéy started one game for the Rams in 2025-26, averaging 2.5 points and 4.1 minutes per game.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help Jhenéy's family "ease the financial burden during this incredibly difficult time," according to the description. The page has raised more than $16,000 as of Monday, July 20, as it sought to give her "the beautiful homegoing service she deserves."
The 15 Freeway that runs through the Cajon Pass is a notoriously dangerous stretch due to its blind spots and steep grades. In 2022, officials reported 48 traffic deaths along the roadway, according to the Daily Mail.
