SE: Confidence and Evolved Game Bring Consistency for K-State’s Dean Wade
Jan 05, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Dean Wade entered his junior season with one main personal goal in mind: Be more consistent. Through 14 games, he's off to a good start.
Wade has scored in double figures 10 times this season, including a career-high 34 points in a road win at Iowa State. In the four other games, he scored a combined 28 points. Last year, Wade broke double figures in eight of K-State's first 14 games. His other six games in that stretch included a scoreless outing, as well as a three- and four-point performance.
Put another way, Wade has raised not only his highs this season but also increased his lows.
The biggest difference? Confidence.
"My confidence is high right now, but it's been high all season. I'm just not letting little things bother my mindset like I did my freshman and sophomore year, and it's helped me be more consistent," Wade said, averaging 25.5 points through two Big 12 games this season, the highest mark by a K-State player through two conference games since Michael Beasley put up 53 in 2007-08. "Last year, I had crazy ups and downs and it kind of threw my confidence in the trash, really. These two games really helped me out a lot. I just have to keep focused and playing hard."
When it comes to stabilizing his confidence, Wade said it has boiled down to two key factors. One is simply experience — learning how to handle the ups and downs of a game and of a season. The other, he said, has been the people around him.
"Experience and my teammates. I have great teammates that, even when I get down or make a mistake, they tell me it's OK. That helps a lot," he said, as K-State (11-3, 1-1) prepares to play at No. 18 Texas Tech (13-1, 2-0) on Saturday at 3 p.m. "But I've also been through the fire before a couple of times and lost my confidence before, so I know how to not to lose it this time."
At 6-foot-10, Wade has always been an offensive asset on the perimeter. He shot 40 percent from three last year and is hitting a team-high 45 percent (14-of-31) so far this season.
This season, however, he's added to his arsenal and evolved as a player.
Wade has implemented a mixture of post moves and improved his ball handling to get from the perimeter to the paint. This has allowed him to be a more diverse scorer.
As evidence, 33 percent of Wade's made field goals last year came from beyond the arc. This season, that mark is down to 18 percent.
"That's where I think he's made his most improvement. He's going in the paint and he feels good about it. His freshman and sophomore year, he went because we made him. Now, he has a little confidence that he can score in there," K-State head coach Bruce Weber said of Wade, shooting 75 percent (18-of-24) from the field through two Big 12 games. "Those up-and-unders, spin moves, he's put a lot of time in. The coaches have done a good job with him. I think he's much more confident in there."
Wade pointed to a number of people who have assisted with his development down low.
"I think it's just been all the coaches, really. Coach (Chris) Lowery, Coach (Brad) Korn. Shane (Southwell) helps with a lot of things, and then the older guys in the summer. Curtis Kelly and all those guys when they come back, like Thomas (Gipson)," said Wade, second in the Big 12 in scoring for conference games. "We play one-on-one in the post a lot and it gives us confidence. All those guys were great players here. They're big, strong guys and helped me every day.
"I'm a lot more confident in myself this year down there. I'm stronger, more athletic, so I feel like I can, not really bully people, but get to where I want to be easier down there. I'm just a little more confident in myself."
In order to use his more balanced attack, Wade put in the time in the weight room during the summer. As a result, he added muscle and increased his stamina, leading to more efficient high-minute games. His last two are a prime example.
Wade, converting 60.8 percent from the field this season, played 38 minutes in both of the last two games. In the first, he converted 13-of-16 from the floor to become the first Wildcat to score 30 or more points in a Big 12 opener since Beasley. In the second, Wade collected his second double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) of the season on 5-of-8 shooting.
"I think my freshman year I was just happy to be out there," Wade said. "This year, I want to make a statement."
K-State WBB Rides Road Win Over (12/11) WVU into Home Battle with (8/8) Texas on Sunday
For a young team facing one of the toughest, if not the toughest, possible opening stretches in the Big 12, the K-State women's win at (12/11) West Virginia on Wednesday provided more than their first conference victory of the season.
"It does a lot," said K-State head coach Jeff Mittie, who entered the locker room with fist pumps and high fives after the Wildcats' first ever win at West Virginia. "It does a lot for a young team's psyche. It does a lot for an old coach's psyche. It's good for everybody."
The road win also showed a lot from a team that began Big 12 play with a trio of games against ranked opponents, a tough stretch that will continue with K-State's third top-10 matchup of the season set for Sunday at 1 p.m., in Bramlage Coliseum.
The stretch marks the second time in program history that K-State has started Big 12 play against four-straight teams ranked in the Associated Press top-25 and the first time since 1996-97. It's also the first season since 2008-09 that a Big 12 school has played four-straight AP ranked opponents to open league play (Colorado).
In game three of this gauntlet, K-State (9-5, 1-2) took a significant step forward.
The Wildcats dug double-digit deficits in their first two conference games, against No. 6 Baylor and No. 24 Oklahoma State. They competed much better in the second half of both games, nearly completing a comeback against the Cowgirls.
At West Virginia, however, K-State kept it close early to trail by only three at halftime. The Wildcats then controlled the second half, dominating the final quarter, 18-8, en route to a signature win.
"We fought hard against Oklahoma State, but we dug such a big hole early in that game. In this game, we pushed through some of the fatigue and we pushed through some of the adversity that maybe we haven't pushed through as well," Mittie said of beating West Virginia, the highest-ranked opponent K-State has defeated on the road since 2012. "We've had a really tough start and (West Virginia) is a tough place to get a win. It's a really good win for this group."
K-State's game against Texas (12-1, 3-0) marks the Wildcats' annual participation in the Play 4 Kay initiative. The first 4,000 fans will receive a free pink K-State women's basketball shirt, while the team will be wearing pink uniforms.
Sunday's game will be broadcast on ESPNU and will be available on the K-State Sports Network and for free on kstatesports.com.
Dean Wade entered his junior season with one main personal goal in mind: Be more consistent. Through 14 games, he's off to a good start.
Wade has scored in double figures 10 times this season, including a career-high 34 points in a road win at Iowa State. In the four other games, he scored a combined 28 points. Last year, Wade broke double figures in eight of K-State's first 14 games. His other six games in that stretch included a scoreless outing, as well as a three- and four-point performance.
Put another way, Wade has raised not only his highs this season but also increased his lows.
The biggest difference? Confidence.
"My confidence is high right now, but it's been high all season. I'm just not letting little things bother my mindset like I did my freshman and sophomore year, and it's helped me be more consistent," Wade said, averaging 25.5 points through two Big 12 games this season, the highest mark by a K-State player through two conference games since Michael Beasley put up 53 in 2007-08. "Last year, I had crazy ups and downs and it kind of threw my confidence in the trash, really. These two games really helped me out a lot. I just have to keep focused and playing hard."
When it comes to stabilizing his confidence, Wade said it has boiled down to two key factors. One is simply experience — learning how to handle the ups and downs of a game and of a season. The other, he said, has been the people around him.
"Experience and my teammates. I have great teammates that, even when I get down or make a mistake, they tell me it's OK. That helps a lot," he said, as K-State (11-3, 1-1) prepares to play at No. 18 Texas Tech (13-1, 2-0) on Saturday at 3 p.m. "But I've also been through the fire before a couple of times and lost my confidence before, so I know how to not to lose it this time."
At 6-foot-10, Wade has always been an offensive asset on the perimeter. He shot 40 percent from three last year and is hitting a team-high 45 percent (14-of-31) so far this season.
This season, however, he's added to his arsenal and evolved as a player.
Wade has implemented a mixture of post moves and improved his ball handling to get from the perimeter to the paint. This has allowed him to be a more diverse scorer.
As evidence, 33 percent of Wade's made field goals last year came from beyond the arc. This season, that mark is down to 18 percent.
"That's where I think he's made his most improvement. He's going in the paint and he feels good about it. His freshman and sophomore year, he went because we made him. Now, he has a little confidence that he can score in there," K-State head coach Bruce Weber said of Wade, shooting 75 percent (18-of-24) from the field through two Big 12 games. "Those up-and-unders, spin moves, he's put a lot of time in. The coaches have done a good job with him. I think he's much more confident in there."
Wade pointed to a number of people who have assisted with his development down low.
"I think it's just been all the coaches, really. Coach (Chris) Lowery, Coach (Brad) Korn. Shane (Southwell) helps with a lot of things, and then the older guys in the summer. Curtis Kelly and all those guys when they come back, like Thomas (Gipson)," said Wade, second in the Big 12 in scoring for conference games. "We play one-on-one in the post a lot and it gives us confidence. All those guys were great players here. They're big, strong guys and helped me every day.
"I'm a lot more confident in myself this year down there. I'm stronger, more athletic, so I feel like I can, not really bully people, but get to where I want to be easier down there. I'm just a little more confident in myself."
In order to use his more balanced attack, Wade put in the time in the weight room during the summer. As a result, he added muscle and increased his stamina, leading to more efficient high-minute games. His last two are a prime example.
Wade, converting 60.8 percent from the field this season, played 38 minutes in both of the last two games. In the first, he converted 13-of-16 from the floor to become the first Wildcat to score 30 or more points in a Big 12 opener since Beasley. In the second, Wade collected his second double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) of the season on 5-of-8 shooting.
"I think my freshman year I was just happy to be out there," Wade said. "This year, I want to make a statement."
K-State WBB Rides Road Win Over (12/11) WVU into Home Battle with (8/8) Texas on Sunday
For a young team facing one of the toughest, if not the toughest, possible opening stretches in the Big 12, the K-State women's win at (12/11) West Virginia on Wednesday provided more than their first conference victory of the season.
"It does a lot," said K-State head coach Jeff Mittie, who entered the locker room with fist pumps and high fives after the Wildcats' first ever win at West Virginia. "It does a lot for a young team's psyche. It does a lot for an old coach's psyche. It's good for everybody."
The road win also showed a lot from a team that began Big 12 play with a trio of games against ranked opponents, a tough stretch that will continue with K-State's third top-10 matchup of the season set for Sunday at 1 p.m., in Bramlage Coliseum.
The stretch marks the second time in program history that K-State has started Big 12 play against four-straight teams ranked in the Associated Press top-25 and the first time since 1996-97. It's also the first season since 2008-09 that a Big 12 school has played four-straight AP ranked opponents to open league play (Colorado).
In game three of this gauntlet, K-State (9-5, 1-2) took a significant step forward.
The Wildcats dug double-digit deficits in their first two conference games, against No. 6 Baylor and No. 24 Oklahoma State. They competed much better in the second half of both games, nearly completing a comeback against the Cowgirls.
At West Virginia, however, K-State kept it close early to trail by only three at halftime. The Wildcats then controlled the second half, dominating the final quarter, 18-8, en route to a signature win.
"We fought hard against Oklahoma State, but we dug such a big hole early in that game. In this game, we pushed through some of the fatigue and we pushed through some of the adversity that maybe we haven't pushed through as well," Mittie said of beating West Virginia, the highest-ranked opponent K-State has defeated on the road since 2012. "We've had a really tough start and (West Virginia) is a tough place to get a win. It's a really good win for this group."
K-State's game against Texas (12-1, 3-0) marks the Wildcats' annual participation in the Play 4 Kay initiative. The first 4,000 fans will receive a free pink K-State women's basketball shirt, while the team will be wearing pink uniforms.
Sunday's game will be broadcast on ESPNU and will be available on the K-State Sports Network and for free on kstatesports.com.
K-State Men's Basketball | Postgame Press Conference at Texas Tech
Sunday, February 22
K-State Men's Basketball | Haggerty and Johnson Historic Night vs Baylor
Thursday, February 19
K-State Men's Basketball | Interim Head Coach Driscoll Press Conference vs Baylor
Wednesday, February 18
K-State Men's Basketball | Press Conference vs Baylor
Wednesday, February 18
