Following Tom Crean hire, Dwyane Wade envisions bright future for Georgia basketball program
Considering his massive success in both college and the NBA, there may not be many players more qualified to evaluate the coaching acumen of Tom Crean than perennial all star Dwyane Wade. Given his success after being coached by Crean in college, it hasn’t taken Wade long to jump on the Georgia basketball bandwagon.
Wade may be a household name now but before he played for Crean, he was a fringe high school prospect with academic concerns that didn’t land any major college offers. After sitting on the bench his first year in college, Wade exploded during his redshirt freshman season and progressed to lead Marquette to a deep run in the NCAA Tournament as a sophomore. The team advanced to the Final Four thanks to Wade triple-double performance against Kentucky in 2003 NCAA Tournament.
Following the news that his former college coach has landed in Athens, Wade offered up his praise for the hire and noted the positive future that’s likely to come for Georgia basketball in Athens.
I’m so happy for my Coach, Mentor,Father Figure and Friend @TomCrean on his new position with @UGABasketball ….The Wade’s are now proud supporters of the Bulldogs!!! Knowing what i know the community of Georgia better strap in because it’s gonna be a helluva ride!
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) March 17, 2018
Crean took notice of Wade’s response and offered up some praise of his own while offering up his expectations for the future of UGA basketball.
I’ll recruit and hold people accountable to the standards you helped me develop and continue to live out everyday!! You are what humility, confidence, compassion and competitiveness look like !!! https://t.co/nVWlUl0CoX
— Tom Crean (@TomCrean) March 17, 2018
If you weren’t on the Crean bandwagon already, Wade’s comment has to at least give you hope that the basketball program in Athens is in good hands moving forward.