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D-Wade is a star

It is readily apparent that whatever scenario Dwayne Wade approaches it always comes out with a flare and a flash. His nickname of Flash seems to be descriptive of his talents and characteristics. His flare for the dramatic and emphatic plays is just the tip of the ice break for this great phenom.

Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr. was born in Chicago, Illinois on January 17th, 1982. His parents, Dwyane Sr. and Jolinda Wade, were separated shortly after and his mother, along with his older sisters Tragil, Deana and Keisha, took care of Dwyane in South Chicago. At the age of 8, his life changed when his sister, Tragil, then 13, put Dwyane on a bus headed to the suburb of Robbins, Illinois. Tragil returned to Chicago, but Dwyane stayed in Robbins with his father. His father had remarried, and Dwyane took a liking to his new home, new family, and new friends.

Throughout his life, he has always faced obstacles and with the flare of flash, hew has surpassed all expectations and definitely has surprised quite a few along the way.

Wade’s tumultuous road to glory can be exemplified during his time at Marquette. Dwyane was forced to sit out his freshman year at Marquette because of his academic standing, but still worked hard to improve in both basketball and academics. The prospect of having to provide as a father on limited resources was just another challenge Dwyane would have to overcome. Perhaps this was the inspiration he needed. When finally given the opportunity to play during his sophomore year, he immediately made waves. In fact, his play was gaining him significant recognition. His play earned him AP All-American honors, Conference-USA Player of the Year, and C-USA Defensive Player of the Year. After his stunning performance in the NCAA tournament against Kentucky, in which he logged only the third triple-double in the tournament's storied history, Wade's stock soared. He was projected as a sure NBA draft lottery pick.

Although it was hard to leave his school, his team, his friends, his coaches- Dwyane decided to forego his senior year at Marquette and enter the NBA draft. The Miami Heat took him in the first round, going 5th overall. Now fast forward to the 2005-06 NBA Season. After a rough start with Heat, a change at head coach with the insertion of the legendary Pat Riley, and some off season player changes, Wade’s role became one of a leader. His dominant on course presence while maintaining a quiet-like assassin demeanor, only solidifies his place as one of the great superstars of the NBA.

"I've been getting doubted all my life," Wade said. "If I worried about doubters I wouldn't be in the NBA right now. It helps motivate me to keep going."

Dwyane does so many things like Michael Jordan that the comparisons are inevitable. He is at his best with the ball in his hands, penetrating hard to hoop. His ability to slice through the defense is nothing short of amazing.

Dwyane’s outside shot is good enough that he no longer can be left alone on the perimeter, which gives him the opportunity to beat his man off the dribble. Once he beats his man, his options are threefold. He can pull up for a short jumper, continue on to the rim and dish off to an open teammate, or finish the play himself.

Dwyane is always a threat on defense. His exceptionally quick, active hands and anticipation produce plenty of steals. He’s also an excellent rebounder.

Dwyane says he will never compete in the Slam Dunk contest, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a regular contributor to the evening highlight reel. Dwyane is a spectacular dunker, though he lays the ball in as often as he slams it home. That’s because he prefers to use his dunks at pivotal times, either to wake up his teammates and the home crowd, demoralize an opponent, or shake himself up if his energy is lagging.

Dwyane is already respected as a leader. Part of this has to do with his work ethic. He takes practice as seriously as games. In fact, he likes to train in the gym by himself, setting up chairs that he pretends are opponents and teammates. Dwyane is also known as a crunch-time performer. His numbers always sparkle in the postseason, and he’s money with the game on the line. So when you see “Flash” you better take note, he is atop the NBA, and not in the foreseeable future, will this flash be gone.

Coach Banks is a former coach in the NCAA, USBL, BBL, EBBA. He can be reached at jjumps42@yahoo.com. You can hear him every Monday afternoon at 2:30pm EST on www.BetUSradio.com.