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Gonzaga guard Jesse Wade will transfer from the Gonzaga Bulldogs, the school announced on Friday. Wade will sit one year and have three years of eligibility remaining.
Wade appeared in 19 games for the Zags last season, but could never find a foothold in the rotation. He averaged just 5.2 minutes and 1.4 points per game. Although the Zags don’t have a plethora of guards, with the emergence of Zach Norvell, among others, it was starting to look like Wade would struggle to find minutes once again.
Wade, in his statement, said exactly everything you would hope someone would say.
“I want to thank everyone who has made my time at Gonzaga such a memorable time in my life,” Wade said. “I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the culture at Gonzaga and for all of the incredible memories that I was able to share with such amazing people around me. I want to start off by thanking Coach Few, Coach Daniels, Coach Michaelson, and Coach Lloyd for all of the support throughout the year and especially during this process. I also want to thank our incredible group of managers for all the extra time they spent helping me get better.
“As well, I want to thank the incredible fan base at Gonzaga for the overwhelming support over the last few years and for always being there for me. Lastly, I want to thank my teammates for being there for me through it all. A year ago I walked onto campus with only having one brother in my brother Josh, but I’m leaving with 13 more who will be my brothers forever. Gonzaga will always have a special place in my heart.”
Wade’s departure leaves the Zags with another open scholarship spot for next season. Barring a flood of graduate transfers, most likely one of those scholarships will again go to Jeremy Jones for his senior year.
Wade was a standout high school player in Utah, but delayed his start to his collegiate career to complete his LDS mission. He was not able to garner minutes last season, despite few answers for when point guard Josh Perkins needed a break.