SE: Wade’s 2015 Game-Winner vs. Georgia ‘A Lifetime Ago’ for Nationally Recognized Junior
Jan 26, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Bruce Weber recalls Wesley Iwundu asking for the ball to be in his hands. Dean Wade remembers going to the wrong spot on the court, and realizing it too late. Barry Brown can still picture himself ecstatically celebrating on the sideline.
This was two seasons ago when K-State traveled to face Georgia, who the Wildcats host on Saturday at 1 p.m., on ESPNU, as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge. In K-State's December 2015 road SEC battle, the Wildcats had the ball late in a tie game against the Bulldogs.
Iwundu, a junior at the time, got the ball out of bounds to start the action. As Iwundu began to attack, Wade realized something.
"I was on the wrong side," Wade recalled. "I think I was supposed to be on the other side. Wes came down and I had no choice but to back up a little bit and he kind of took my guy out and flipped it to me, so I shot it."
Wade also made it, pushing K-State to a 68-66 win in the first road test of his career.
"I was cheering my butt off," Brown, also a freshman during that season, said of Wade's shot against Georgia.
"That seems like a lifetime ago," added Wade, who's scored 20 or more points in four-straight games and recently earned his first career Big 12 Player of the Week honor, along with being named Citizen Naismith Trophy National Player of the Week. "That was like our very first real away game."
Time has changed and matured Wade for the better since then.
Now a junior, he's filled out physically and developed a fearlessness of playing inside. His confidence is unwavering and his aggressiveness has followed suit. He's more comfortable in his own skin, evidenced by the sense of humor he's shown in a number of interviews this season.
"That was a long time ago. Physically, I've gained weight, gotten a long stronger. Mentally, I'm just a lot more confident in myself. I'm wearing sleeves now, short sleeves, so that's pretty cool," Wade said, prompting laughter from media members. "I've changed a lot. I think I'm a whole different player than I was then."
Wade has scored in double figures in all eight Big 12 games this season. In conference games only, his scoring average of 20.3 points ranks third, his field goal percentage (60.6) ranks fourth and his 3-point percentage (53.6) ranks second. He also sits in the top 10 of a handful of other categories, displaying a high level of play that he may not have fully realized was possible as a freshman, but others certainly did.
"My freshman year, I don't think I could look through the next week without being scared," Wade said. "I knew I could be a good player, I just didn't know if or when I was going to do it."
Weber said he always knew it would happen. Again, "it was just a matter of when," K-State's head coach added.
"I think he had to figure it out on his own and hopefully it continues. I don't know if he's going to be 9-for-12 every game," Weber continued, referencing's Wade's 24-point outing in K-State's win at Baylor on Monday, "but he's a really good player, a really talented player."
Looking back at that 2015 road win at Georgia, Brown said the transformation by Wade and the team, on a three-game winning streak that included two ranked victories, has been impressive.
"It's been a long time coming. He's playing at the level that everyone saw and I'm pretty sure the coaches saw when they recruited him. Two years back, we were all just so inexperienced, not knowing what to expect, especially going on the road in a hostile environment at Georgia. It was pretty packed in there from what I can remember," Brown said, adding of Wade: "He came to play (scoring 17 points), but now he's a whole other Dean right now, on a whole other level. The things he's doing now, he could have been doing but I think the (lack of) confidence kind of messed him up. Right now, I wouldn't want to guard him."
Bruce Weber recalls Wesley Iwundu asking for the ball to be in his hands. Dean Wade remembers going to the wrong spot on the court, and realizing it too late. Barry Brown can still picture himself ecstatically celebrating on the sideline.
This was two seasons ago when K-State traveled to face Georgia, who the Wildcats host on Saturday at 1 p.m., on ESPNU, as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge. In K-State's December 2015 road SEC battle, the Wildcats had the ball late in a tie game against the Bulldogs.
Iwundu, a junior at the time, got the ball out of bounds to start the action. As Iwundu began to attack, Wade realized something.
"I was on the wrong side," Wade recalled. "I think I was supposed to be on the other side. Wes came down and I had no choice but to back up a little bit and he kind of took my guy out and flipped it to me, so I shot it."
Wade also made it, pushing K-State to a 68-66 win in the first road test of his career.
Dance with my dogs in the nighttime.
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) January 25, 2018
#ThrowbackThursday #KStateMBB pic.twitter.com/wrX7HNLbwe
"I was cheering my butt off," Brown, also a freshman during that season, said of Wade's shot against Georgia.
"That seems like a lifetime ago," added Wade, who's scored 20 or more points in four-straight games and recently earned his first career Big 12 Player of the Week honor, along with being named Citizen Naismith Trophy National Player of the Week. "That was like our very first real away game."
Time has changed and matured Wade for the better since then.
Now a junior, he's filled out physically and developed a fearlessness of playing inside. His confidence is unwavering and his aggressiveness has followed suit. He's more comfortable in his own skin, evidenced by the sense of humor he's shown in a number of interviews this season.
"That was a long time ago. Physically, I've gained weight, gotten a long stronger. Mentally, I'm just a lot more confident in myself. I'm wearing sleeves now, short sleeves, so that's pretty cool," Wade said, prompting laughter from media members. "I've changed a lot. I think I'm a whole different player than I was then."
Wade has scored in double figures in all eight Big 12 games this season. In conference games only, his scoring average of 20.3 points ranks third, his field goal percentage (60.6) ranks fourth and his 3-point percentage (53.6) ranks second. He also sits in the top 10 of a handful of other categories, displaying a high level of play that he may not have fully realized was possible as a freshman, but others certainly did.
"My freshman year, I don't think I could look through the next week without being scared," Wade said. "I knew I could be a good player, I just didn't know if or when I was going to do it."
Weber said he always knew it would happen. Again, "it was just a matter of when," K-State's head coach added.
"I think he had to figure it out on his own and hopefully it continues. I don't know if he's going to be 9-for-12 every game," Weber continued, referencing's Wade's 24-point outing in K-State's win at Baylor on Monday, "but he's a really good player, a really talented player."
Looking back at that 2015 road win at Georgia, Brown said the transformation by Wade and the team, on a three-game winning streak that included two ranked victories, has been impressive.
"It's been a long time coming. He's playing at the level that everyone saw and I'm pretty sure the coaches saw when they recruited him. Two years back, we were all just so inexperienced, not knowing what to expect, especially going on the road in a hostile environment at Georgia. It was pretty packed in there from what I can remember," Brown said, adding of Wade: "He came to play (scoring 17 points), but now he's a whole other Dean right now, on a whole other level. The things he's doing now, he could have been doing but I think the (lack of) confidence kind of messed him up. Right now, I wouldn't want to guard him."
Players Mentioned
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