SEATTLE – Most University of Washington men’s basketball fans probably don’t remember anything about Lorenzo Wade. After all, the 6-foot-6 swingman played just one minute for Louisville in the Cardinals’ Sweet 16 victory over the Huskies in the NCAA Tournament.
But UW fans are going to get a chance to know Wade a lot better, now. Wade, who left Louisville after the Cardinals’ run to the Final Four, announced Friday that he would transfer to Washington.
Wade will have to sit out next season due to NCAA transfer rules, but will have three years of eligibility remaining starting in the 2006-07 season.
Wade told a Seattle newspaper that he had a good meeting with Washington coach Lorenzo Romar on his visit to Seattle last weekend.
“I really got to connect with coach Romar on a personal level,” Wade told the Seattle newspaper. “He’s a church-going guy but he’s also a player’s coach, having the background of having worked his way into the NBA, working through different camps and knowing what it’s like for players trying to come up.”
Wade also took visits to New Mexico State, which is coached by former Louisville assistant Reggie Theus, and Nevada.
The Las Vegas native played in 35 games as a true freshman at Louisville last season, averaging 4.1 points and 1.8 rebounds in 9.9 minutes. However he played just a total of 12 minutes in the NCAA Tournament.
Over the past four seasons, which included stops at Cheyenne High School, Hargrave Military Academy and Louisville, Wade’s teams have gone 119-12. After graduating from Cheyenne, Wade helped Hargrave become the top-ranked prep school in the country by averaging 14.3 points.
Wade’s decision, coupled with Brandon Roy’s announcement last month that he would return for his senior year, helped ease the Huskies’ sting of losing Nate Robinson and Martell Webster to the NBA draft.
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