Dwyane Wade helped put Milwaukee back on basketball map
Dwyane Wade helped put Milwaukee back on basketball map.
Lori Nickel, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Former Marquette star — and Basketball Hall of Famer — Dwyane Wade is already earning rave reviews for his broadcast work alongside Noah Eagle for the Olympic men’s hoops competition.
But Golden Eagle followers who watched the Americans’ 110-84 victory over Serbia on Sunday in Paris caught Wade giving some shoutouts to his old school.
Dwyane Wade likes Anthony Edwards’ game for Team USA in Paris
When discussing Team USA star Anthony Edwards, Wade made a reference to MU’s school slogan.
“I know Anthony Edwards didn’t go to Marquette,” Wade said. “But we have a saying at Marquette: Be the difference.
“And I talked with Anthony Edwards about being it. Be unpredictable. And be the difference on the floor when you step out there.”
Tom Crean coached both Anthony Edwards and Dwyane Wade in college
After Edwards scored with some particularly fancy footwork at the end of the third quarter, Wade mentioned their shared coach in college.
“Give ’em that work,” Wade exclaimed. “He went to the Tom Crean school!”
Crean coached at MU from 1999-2008, including Wade’s three years. Crean was head coach at Georgia from 2018-22. Edwards played one season with the Bulldogs before becoming the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA draft.
What is Dwyane Wade’s history with Team USA and Olympics?
Wade once played the Edwards role for Team USA as an athletic game-changer on both ends of the court.
Not long after leading MU to the 2003 Final Four, Wade had his first Olympics experience in Athens in 2004. He averaged 7.3 points per game as the Americans stumbled to a disappointing bronze medal.
Wade had a much better experience on the 2008 “Redeem Team” in Beijing. On a roster with Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, Wade was Team USA’s leading scorer at 16 points per game.
In the gold-medal game against Spain, Wade had 27 points on 9-for-12 shooting.
Dwyane Wade also made reference to Great Alaska Shootout and Gonzaga coach Mark Few
That wasn’t Wade’s only MU reference during the telecast.
Wade mentioned that he talked with Gonzaga coach Mark Few, a Team USA assistant under Steve Kerr, about MU’s experience in the 2001 Great Alaska Shootout.
“I walked away with the MVP,,” Wade said. “He knows who I am. You know my name. I hadn’t seen him in a while, so I wanted to bring it back up with him.”
After sitting out his first season at MU, when tales about his exploits in practices became legendary, Wade burst on the scene at the Great Alaska Shootout. The Golden Eagles won the title by beating Tennessee, Indiana and Gonzaga.
That was Few’s third season as head coach at Gonzaga.
What is Team USA’s basketball schedule at Paris Olympics?
Wade will be back on the microphone on Wednesday when Team USA plays South Sudan.
The Americans then finish group play against Puerto Rico on Saturday. Puerto Rico’s roster includes Jordan Howard, the brother of MU’s all-time leading scorer Markus Howard.
Team USA then expects to advance into the knockout round.
What other MU references can Wade drop on the broadcasts?
Read the entire oral history of Dwyane Wade’s three years at Marquette
Part 1: Wade was an overlooked gem in high school
Part 2: The untold stories of Wade’s dominant sit-out season
Part 3: Once on the court, Wade becomes a star
Part 4: MU teammates always saw Wade as a humble superstar
MARQUETTE NEWS: Markus Howard talks about past, present and future during nostalgic trip back to MU
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