NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from state of Kansas of last decade
By Joey Loose
5. Dean Wade – Kansas State
After growing up in St. John, Wade burst onto the scene playing under Bruce Weber at Kansas State. A 6’10 forward, he was a full-time starter throughout a four-year career with the Wildcats and was an important piece for some surprisingly successful teams.
Wade made solid contributions in his first two seasons and was already a starter for the Wildcats. His junior season saw him average 16.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, but an injury made him a nonfactor as Kansas State advanced to the Elite Eight. He did have a career-high 34 points in a win at Iowa State and was just as productive the following season, but his career was cut short by yet another injury.
Wade was a two-time member of the All-Big 12 First Team and it’s a wonder what he could’ve done had those two seasons not been limited by injuries. He was clearly a very important piece on Kansas State’s most recent of success, pairing nicely with Barry Brown and Xavier Sneed late in his career. Wade was not drafted following his senior season, but has been a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the last three years, already playing more than 100 games at the NBA level.