With the first round of March Madness having just wrapped up, college basketball is now officially in full swing. Even Marquette legend, Dwayne Wade decided to part-take in the March Madness festivities this time. The NBA Hall Of Famer decided to take to Instagram to share a few unseen memories from his 2003 run NCAA run with Marquette.
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Taking to Instagram, the first memory that Wade shared was a video of the Marquette team arriving in New Orleans to play Kansas in the Final Four. Unfortunately, for Wade and Marquette, their Cinderella Run came to an end against Kansas, as they lost 61-94.
Even though the 2003 Marquette Squad was talented, it was Dwayne Wade who put the team on his back during that campaign. During their 2003 run, Wade would drop an insane triple-double (29 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists), leading Marquette past the heavily favored Kentucky.
In the second clip that Wade shared on this Instagram, the Miami legend talked about his iconic performance against Kentucky. After the game, Media would ask Wade about his performance. Talking about his performance humbly, Wade said,
“This is my first triple-double ever. I am very excited about that…knowing that I had 11 rebounds and 11 assists, the points don’t matter.”
From the looks of it, Wade wasn’t much of a high-scoring guard back in college. Wade was more known for his rebounding, defense, and passing abilities. Known as the “flash”, Wade was also a decent slasher for his size. That being said, the Miami native did exceedingly well in college averaging 21.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists for his final college season.
Wade recalls his 2003 run with Marquette
Dwayne Wade was a force in college basketball in 2003, but no one expected the Flash to carry Marquette to the Final Four. Marquette was ranked 5th in the Big East Conference in 2003, but no one triple-double was picking the Golden Eagles to take down Kentucky.
But history was made, as Wade powered through many prestigious D1 programs, landing himself and Marquette a place in the Final Four. It’s been over 20 years since the legendary run, and the media wanted to know how Wade felt about it.
Luckily, Wade was in attendance for the All-State Maui Invitational, in November and decided to sit down with ESPN reporter Angel Sparks for a small interview. Answering questions about his 2003 run and his Alma-Mattar, Wade said,
“I do know that. My body feels it. Feels great to have accomplished that…to be part of this new school, it’s what you dream of. To be able to build something.”
During the interview, Wade often sang praises of Coach Shaka Smart as well. Along with Jimmy Butler, Dwayne Wade might be one of the greatest athletes in Marquette history. The 2003 was not just for Marquette, as Wade himself greatly benefited from the popularity.
After the game, mock drafts suddenly projected Wade as a lottery pick. A few months later, Wade was drafted to Miami with the 5th pick, and the rest is history.
