Dwayne Wade in the house on a surprise visit per Todd Rosiak...
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=674438Wade stirs things up with visit back
NBA star returns for festivities
By TODD ROSIAK
trosiak@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Oct. 13, 2007
With Midnight Madness becoming an annual arms race to attract not only fans but also recruits, Marquette University pulled out its trump card on Saturday night: the one and only Dwyane Wade.
Invited to the Al McGuire Center a little more than 24 hours earlier under a shroud of secrecy by coach Tom Crean, Wade nearly brought the roof down as he made his way out of the tunnel after the premiere of his latest commercial for his Brand Wade line of shoes and clothing.
"What's up, Marquette fans?" exclaimed Wade as the near-capacity crowd came to its feet in unison. "I hope you're ready for an unbelievable night."
After a few more words for the crowd and some love for Crean, Wade settled in for the remainder of the festivities, which included serving as a judge in the dunk contest (won by Jerel McNeal) and then helping coach the Gold team in the intra-squad scrimmage.
"Very quickly," said Crean, referring to how Wade's appearance came together. "Friday afternoon we texted and I spoke to him around 3. He didn't make the trip with the Heat on the road, so we put it together in a hurry."
With Wade's popularity among MU and National Basketball Association fans unquestioned, Crean was no doubt hoping that Wade's appearance helped with what was a pivotal recruiting weekend for the Golden Eagles.
On campus for official visits were not only guard Nick Williams of Mobile, Ala. - MU's lone commitment for its 2008-'09 class so far - but also 6-foot-7 small forward Jared Swopshire of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. and 6-4 guard Iman Shumpert of Oak Park, Ill.
There's little question Shumpert has been the Golden Eagles' top priority for some time.
Rated as anywhere from the 15th to the 26th best recruit overall in the nation and a top-five combination guard by every major recruiting service, Shumpert has already visited North Carolina and Georgia Tech and is expected to choose between the three schools sometime in the coming weeks.
And while NCAA regulations did not allow Wade to speak to Shumpert, Swopshire or Williams individually, it's still a safe bet the all-star's appearance left a positive impression on each.
"I think it helps with everything," Crean said. "Not only in recruiting, but just the presence of him. This man made the decision to come here in under 24 hours. Left Miami this afternoon and will be back home tonight. As I told the team, that's unconditional love."
Wade, still recovering from off-season shoulder and knee surgeries, was clearly at ease being back at his alma mater. He spent the scrimmage lounging on the scorer's table, offering words of advice to the Golden Eagles not long after giving Crean some grief for driving out onto the court during introductions on an ATV.
"I think they're going to do great," Wade said, giving his outlook for MU this season. "I'm excited to see how the team's going to do this year, plus they're wearing my shoes and my clothing, so they're going to have to be great."
