MANILA, Philippines - Lorenzo Wade, standing a shade over 6-5, may be the shortest import in the PBA Fiesta Conference but he plays much bigger than his size and for B-Meg Derby Ace coach Ryan Gregorio, heart is what it’s all about.
Wade, 24, has emerged as the early yardstick for imports, leading the Llamados to a 2-0 record. He plays within Gregorio’s system, doesn’t stray from the gameplan and isn’t a ball hog.
More than anything, Wade is coachable. He believes in Gregorio and trusts in his teammates. Wade isn’t the most explosive import in town but for Gregorio, that’s not a concern. The bottom line is what counts and so far, Gregorio isn’t complaining.
In his PBA debut, Wade collected 20 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and six turnovers in 35 minutes as B-Meg trounced Sta. Lucia Realty, 86-79, at the Cuneta Astrodome last Wednesday. It was a baptism of fire for Wade as he went head-to-head against Sta. Lucia’s prolific Anthony Johnson. Wade went to the line only once, missing the free throw, and grabbed just two offensive boards.
What impressed Gregorio about Wade was his willingness to defer to his local teammates. In the fourth period, Wade didn’t demand the ball and stepped back to allow KG Canaleta and Roger Yap to take over the offense. Canaleta hit nine of his 18 points and Yap all of his six in the quarter.
For Wade, the key is adjusting to the team’s style not the other way around. A lot of imports in the past showed up cocky, thinking they were heaven-sent, and expected their local teammates to adjust to their game. Most of those imports didn’t survive a conference.
After the win over Sta. Lucia, Gregorio assessed Wade’s performance.
“I thought Wade played well within our scheme of things,” said Gregorio. “He took shots that were within our offense. He played with great team play that he was satisfied playing off the ball when James (Yap) and KG were on a roll.”
Gregorio said Wade isn’t a one-dimensional offensive player. “He has a balanced offensive game,” continued Gregorio. “He can shoot the three, stop and pop and attack the basket. But I believe he has to work on his offensive rebounding. He’s a natural perimeter player whose tendency is to be a safety man defender rather than an offensive rebound crasher.”
Gregorio said Wade also has to be more aggressive in attacking the rim. “He has to go to the free throw line more frequently and he’s got to improve on his defense without fouling,” added Gregorio.
Wade did exactly as he was told. In B-Meg’s next game at the Cuneta Astrodome last Friday, Wade hit 11-of-15 free throws, pulled down 11 rebounds, including three offensive, had two blocked shots and committed two less errors in 39 minutes. He finished with a game-high 29 points as Derby Ace beat Air21, 92-75.
In both games, three locals scored in twin digits to backstop Wade and B-Meg held its opponents to less than 80 points. The Llamados got the job done on both ends.
Wade said at the start, he couldn’t understand why Gregorio worked the Llamados extremely hard at practice. “Now I know,” beamed Wade, savoring the results of a 2-0 start. “Coach is a lot smarter than I thought.”
Wade played a season at Louisville in 2004-05 when the Cardinals went to the NCAA Final Four then redshirted to move to San Diego State where he averaged 13 points in three years and blossomed into a campus hero.
Early during his senior season in 2008-09, Wade’s career suffered a temporary setback. He went out drinking with roommate Chad Ferguson and engineering student Brian Cepeda Ware one night. When Wade got back to his dorm, the Talmadge Park Row Apartments, at about 3:30 a.m., he found a car parked on two slots in the street and wanted it moved. Wade and his friends knocked on the apartment door of Lorrine Boatwright to ask for the car to be moved. They found the door open, walked in and as a prank, carted away a flat-screen TV. Wade unplugged the set and Ware carried it out. Boatwright, whose grandmother was killed in a burglary, woke up and confronted the pranksters in the street as policemen broke into the scene.
Wade and his friends were arrested by policeman Daniel Caropreso on the charge of first-degree burglary of an inhabited dwelling. If found guilty in court, they would spend six years in prison. Wade pleaded not guilty and his lawyer Richard Muir said there was no criminal intent as the cager had never been in trouble before. Superior Court judge Charles Rogers presided in hearing the case and agreed with Muir, dismissing the charge against Wade.
Wade was suspended two months pending the resolution of the case and coach Steve Fisher initially said he was disappointed and angry with the player’s involvement in the alleged felony. But as soon as Wade was cleared of wrongdoing, Fisher reinstated the star guard-forward who finished the season with his reputation as a school hero intact. In his first game from suspension, Wade scored 25 points in the Aztecs’ 78-59 win over Colorado State. Wade celebrated his final year with a flourish as San Diego State won a school-record 26 games and went to the National Invitation Tournament Final Four at Madison Square Garden.