Wade: Playing For Pitino Was Big Factor

It was mainly playing for Rick Pitino that convinced him to make a verbal commitment today to Louisville, says Lorenzo Wade, the gifted 6-foot-5, 185-pound combo/shooting guard from Las Vegas, Nev. Wade, who is expected to transfer to Hargrave Military Academy in the fall, stated: "Coach Pitino is a great coach. He produces great players in college and in the pros. It's a great opportunity to play for him at Louisville."

Wade, who injured himself last week while competing at the adidas ABCD Camp this week in New Jersey, previously stated that Oklahoma and Connecticut were his two top schools. "It wasn't Connecticut's fault," Wade said. "They came to see me but I was injured. So they really didn't have a chance to watch me play. But I wanted to make a decision and focus on my summer and my next year."

Wade, who was also considering Virginia, Oregon and Cincinnati among his finalists, said Louisville really picked up the interest in the past week. Wade burst on to the scene last summer at the adidas Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas. He also averaged 19.7 points, six rebounds and three assists as a senior last winter at Cheyenne H.S. in Las Vegas.

As a high school senior, Wade took official visits to Tennessee, Boston College and Arizona State. He knew that prep school lied in his future, so he opted not to commit and play his senior year out at Cheyenne.

"I want to polish my point guard skills before I get to Louisville," Wade said. "Being a big guard is an advantage to me. So I want to be as good as I can be at that position when I play there."

-- Russ Blake contributed to this story.