School: Richards 2000.
Position: Guard/forward.
College: Marquette.
After sitting out last season as a partial academic qualifier, Wade is the main reason Marquette is off to a 10-0 start. The 6-foot-4-inch, 190-pound ex-Tribune All-State pick with a 38-inch vertical leap leads the team in scoring (18.6 points a game), rebounding (7.3), assists (4.7), steals (2.4) and blocked shots. Featured last week in Sports Illustrated, Wade had 30 points and eight rebounds in a victory over Tennessee and 21 points and eight boards in a victory over Indiana.
How do you account for the fast start?
“I’m in a real good rhythm right now, and my teammates have a lot of confidence in me. They look for me to take over a game at certain points, and I try to do that. I’m not surprised at the way I’m playing because I’ve always been a scorer and a rebounder.”
What’s it like playing with so many Chicago-area stars?
“This is definitely a Chicago connection. We’ve got Cordell Henry and Ronald Howard from Young, Odartey Blankson from Hillcrest, Kevin Menard from Lincoln-Way and Todd Townsend from New Trier. Odartey was one of the big reasons why I came to Marquette. It was a chance to play on the same team together. There’s something about Chicago ballplayers. Look at Cordell. We all just have a will to win.”
Anything you miss about Richards?
“I miss the excitement of Friday night games, and I miss all my friends and family who would come to watch me play. I know it’s harder for them to come up here to Milwaukee to see me. But helping put Richards basketball on the map makes me feel pretty good.”
