Last night I was discussing basketball with some folks. These people are not necessarily KSU fans but have first hand knowledge of this situation I am going to share. I was asked what I thought about Dean Wade’s play this year. I explained what I thought were his strengths and also explained why I thought he might struggle at times (inexperience, lack of confidence, etc.) . . . These folks politely listened but when I was finished they started to talk about Wade’s experience at KSU and it quickly became evident that they are very unhappy . . . They explained to me that the Wade’s are very disappointed and disillusioned with the basketball program at this time. And that they are wishing Dean would have gone to Iowa instead of KSU. There was no indication that Dean is thinking about transferring, but it was obvious that they are, at best, not pleased with Dean’s choice to attend KSU at this time . . . the main issue is that they said Dean dominates practices, and is easily the best player on the team. However, he does not perform well in games because he believes that his teammates do not want him to be successful. Specifically, they stated that he is not hesitant in games because of lack of confidence or nerves (as I have suspected all along), they said that Dean holds back because his teammates do not want him to succeed . . . I guess the older guys are very jealous of Dean and do not want him to be the team star. The specific names mentioned were Iwundu, DJ, and Edwards. I guess the older guys on the team were jealous when Dean immediately became a crowd favorite . . . The ringleader is Iwundu. According to this source Wade feels that Iwundu will not pass the ball to him when he is open. They said that it is subtle, but they told me to go back and watch some past games. Again, they said it was subtle, but if a person were aware of the situation then they would be able to see it. They said I would see Dean receiving passes just a little late after the D was given time to recover after screens, or that Iwundu might force a situation instead of giving the ball up to Dean. According to these folks, they believe several of Iwundu’s turnovers/forced errors are due to him not wanting to set up Dean for success . . . They did not give any specifics about Edwards, but they did about DJ. They explained that DJ often receives passes from Dean on the low block when they are on the floor together, but that DJ does not pass the ball to Dean. Again, they said with this knowledge I should go back and watch film . . . I have not had time to go back and watch any games yet, but as both a coach and player (years ago) I know that this type of selfish behavior happens on teams. And if you are not knowledgeable of the dynamics, then it is often hard to detect. But if you are on the team, then you know full well that it is going on . . . and in particular, the family is very disappointed in Bruce. It was explained that Bruce is well aware of the situation but he is not able to change the team dynamics. Discussing Bruce and his lack of leadership and control of the situation made these folks get pissed off telling me the story. And I mean emotionally upset . . . again, they never stated that Dean wanted to transfer at this time, but they were very clear that the family is not happy with the situation or Bruce’s handling of the situation . . . This conversation blew me away, as I had no idea this was going on, but as we talked I could tell that it was therapeutic to the people telling me, as it seemed to be a situation they needed to express given how many fans are starting to criticize Dean, saying that he isn’t talented enough, lacks focus or energy. And I must admit, these are all criticisms I’ve read about on this board and/or have discussed with others when talking about this year’s team . . . But again, they said that Dean dominates practices but does not feel comfortable playing in games with the older guys . . .. but also, at no time did they mention that Dean wants to transfer at this time. A-matter-of-fact, they stated several time that he loves KSU and it was a dream come true for him when he signed and became a member of the basketball team . . . I am now going to take some time to watch some past games and make some of my own observations, as I suggest others do before passing judgment . . . but I also wanted to share this, as it is for this type of information that I am a member.
What I've been told (long)
- Thread starter bulacat
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