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Louisville basketball: 5 players you probably forgot were Cards

By Jacob Lane

Louisville's Chad Millard (22) and Villanova's Will Sheridan (50) fight for position Monday, January 30, 2006 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA. Villanova University defeated the University of Louisville 79-73. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)
Louisville's Chad Millard (22) and Villanova's Will Sheridan (50) fight for position Monday, January 30, 2006 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA. Villanova University defeated the University of Louisville 79-73. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS – MARCH 13: Lee Cummard #30 of the Brigham Young University Cougars tries to control the ball as Lorrenzo Wade #31 of the San Diego State Aztecs defends during a semifinal game of the Conoco Mountain West Conference Basketball Championships at the Thomas & Mack Center March 13, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Aztecs won 64-62. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS – MARCH 13: Lee Cummard #30 of the Brigham Young University Cougars tries to control the ball as Lorrenzo Wade #31 of the San Diego State Aztecs defends during a semifinal game of the Conoco Mountain West Conference Basketball Championships at the Thomas & Mack Center March 13, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Aztecs won 64-62. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Lorrenzo Wade (2004-05)

Louisville basketball: 35 games played, 3.9 points, 1.7 rebounds, 

If it wasn’t for the occasional Mike Rutherford tweet, would you really remember that Lorrenzo Wade spent a season playing for Rick Pitino and the Louisville basketball program?

Maybe you would, considering he played for the Final Four team in 2004-05, but I would guess at least you haven’t thought twice about him and his time at Louisville until this very moment. Therefore, you really did forget.

However, for me, I remember Wade playing for Louisville like it was yesterday. Wade was the first guy that I can remember Louisville landed who was an absolute freak athlete and elite dunker, which would obviously become a trend for Pitino with guys like Terrence Williams and Donovan Mitchell. Whenever he stepped foot onto the floor for the Cards, the first thing you started watching for was where his next poster was going to come from.

At 6’6, 225-pounds, Wade was an NBA sized wing who came in with the ability to jump out of the gym and while his offensive game was unimpressive in his freshman season you saw the flashes of his potential a ton on the defensive side of the ball. While part of this is on Mike Rutherford (because who else would do this), it’s remarkable just how many missed dunks he had in that season. And if you don’t remember things like missed dunks, bad passes on alley oops, failed behind the back passes, etc. make Rick very very angry.

After 35 games played and a Final Four under his belt, Wade transferred back out west to play for Steve Fisher at San Diego State. There he’d develop into a star for the Aztecs averaging over double-figures in all three seasons, including 14.8 points per game as a junior which earned him First-Team All-MWC honors. By the time he left the program he’d be one of the program’s most winningest players, having contributed to 68 wins over three years.

He’d go on to play eight years of basketball overseas before finishing his career in the NBA Development league in 2016.

In case you needed an excuse, here’s to tagging Mike Rutherford (@CardChronicle) in all missed dunk tweets you see with the simple response of “Lorrenzo Wade.”

Editors note: A quick search of Twitter using @cardchronicle and Lorrenzo Wade, and it reveals that Mike in fact tweets about Lorrenzo Wade alot. 

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