BYU Basketball: Jesse Wade announces he’ll play for the Cougars
By Shaun Gordon
Former Gonzaga guard Jesse Wade is transferring to BYU. The former Utah high school star will redshirt in 2018-19, then look to become a key backcourt contributor.
BYU Basketball has added a key piece to their program, and he’s one that played against the Cougars just last year.
In early June, Jesse Wade announced that he’d be transferring from Gonzaga, and on Wednesday he announced where he’ll further his career.
BYU.
The Utah native and former Mr. Basketball in the state will come home to the team he grew up rooting for.
At Davis High in 2015, Wade averaged 26.8 points per game as a senior, shooting 45 percent from the three-point line and adding 4.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
The 4-star recruit committed to Gonzaga before serving a two-year mission to France.
After getting home, he played as a freshman for the Bulldogs in 2017-18. He saw limited action in 20 games, averaging 1.3 points in a little more than 5 minutes per night.
WIth recent recruiting at Gonzaga, Wade likely saw that he’d struggle to get playing time, and decided to look elsewhere.
For BYU, he’ll fill in a big need along the guard line starting in the 2019-20 season. He’ll redshirt this year, which is perfect since the Cougars already have their 15-man roster set for 2018-19.
After this year though, the guard line starts to get thin. TJ Haws, Nick Emery, and Jashire Hardnett will be seniors. Rylan Bergersen will be a junior, and Connor Harding will be a sophomore.
He’ll have a good chance to contribute as a sophomore, and become a key piece for the Cougars beyond that.
Plus, the Cougars can always use shooters, and Wade can shoot with the best of them.