Michigan Basketball: Behind the scenes, Wade’s World
Q: In addition to Brandon being at Michigan, your other son Ryan is a member of the Holy Cross basketball team, and you’re an AAU and Assistant Varsity Coach at Skyline High School in Ann Arbor. How has your family been coping without basketball and otherwise during this public health crisis?
“It’s been pretty tough because we are normally a family that is on the go at all times, but the boys have done a great job of using each other as work out partners and have been getting a few hours of good work in regularly whether it be lifting weights in the basement or working out on the court in the driveway. We have a big family so it has been very eventful at our house with planned meals daily and a lot of music and laughs. The bottom line through all of this is we understand the big picture and realize that we are all healthy, we have each other and we are thankful and blessed for each day quarantine or not.”
Q: Coming out of Skyline where he averaged 23.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 7.2 assists as a senior, Brandon or BK as you call him, accepted a scholarship to play for Duquesne, an Atlantic-10 school in Pittsburgh. After his first year, he entered the transfer portal and was recruited to come back home to play for the Wolverines. How did that process go, including his interaction with Coaches Beilein and Howard and others?
“When Brandon entered the transfer portal in April of last year Coach Haynes and Coach Beilein were the first coaches to contact us on the same day about Brandon possibly coming to UofM to join the team. While home for Easter Break Brandon and I sat down with the Coaching staff and Brandon was offered a spot on the team, Brandon accepted the next week but had to wait until his Duquesne Semester was done so that his final grades could be turned in and submitted to admissions. During this delay Coach B left and it was another few weeks in limbo as the coaching search took place. During this time Brandon started receiving offers from schools from the SEC, the Horizon league, the Missouri Valley and the MAC but Brandon was insistent that he was going to wait for Michigan, his dream school. Coach Howard was selected and luckily for Brandon, Coach Saadi Washington stayed on and facilitated the introduction of Brandon and Coach Howard. After a month or (longer) of Coach Howard doing his own research on Brandon he offered Brandon a spot on the team around mid August, he accepted on the spot but by then it was too late for admissions to accept transfers. Brandon took summer and fall courses at Washtenaw CC receiving straight A’s and was finally accepted in December, giving him the OK to start practice Dec 27 and start school 2nd semester.”