Jesse Wade injury: Freshman guard out for exhibition game

The long awaited arrival of Jesse Wade will be on hold for an undisclosed amount of time. Jim Meehan with the Spokesman Review reported Wade will not partake in the exhibition game on Saturday due to a shoulder injury.

Wade is apparently dealing with something related to a nerve issue, as Bud Withers reported on Oct. 20, and the circumstances of the injury are not getting better. Wade played for 14 minutes in the Kraziness in the Kennell scrimmage at the beginning of October, but he didn’t play in last week’s scrimmage against Texas A&M.

For a Gonzaga squad that is already a bit thin in the back court, this could be an issue as the season progresses. Many expected Wade, who is completed his LDS mission, to help spell the backcourt with his deadly accuracy. Wade shot nearly 45 percent from the three point line his senior year.

With Josh Perkins and Silas Melson as the presumed starting guards, right now, the supporting calvalry is limited to Zach Norvell, Corey Kispert, and Joel Ayayi. Ayayi, although electrically athletic, is a bit rough around the edges—but he is a true point guard. If Wade is out for an extended period of time, we might not see a redshirt from Ayayi this year.

Kispert doesn’t fit the prototypical guard profile, but ex-Zag Rem Bakamus said we shouldn’t be surprised to see him in the backcourt if need be.