/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/58411599/usa_today_10556545.0.jpg)
Note: This story has been updated to reflect the national recognition.
The Big 12 Conference and Atlanta Tipoff Club announced weekly awards today, and K-State junior forward Dean Wade picked up the Big 12 and Naismith Trophy Player of the Week awards. (Shoutout to Greg Woods of the Manhattan Mercury for catching the national award on Twitter.)
Week 11 of #Big12MBB:@iammaliknewman is like we knew he'd be & if you don't know Cameron Lard and @deanwade3232 ... now you know. pic.twitter.com/Dcies4OYC2
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) January 22, 2018
After two big wins last week, @deanwade3232 is the @CitizenWatchUS Naismith Trophy Men’s Player of the Week. ⛹ ♂️ Check him out tonight when @KStateMBB takes on @BaylorMBB in @Big12Conference matchup! pic.twitter.com/SqfXZk1CXi
— The Naismith Trophy (@NaismithTrophy) January 22, 2018
In wins against ranked Oklahoma and TCU teams, Wade scored a total of 41 points on 50 percent shooting (58 percent on three-pointers) and had 13 rebounds and 13 assists. According to the official K-State Men’s Basketball Twitter account, it is Wade’s first conference weekly award, but with his uncommon combination of size and skill, he could receive a lot more over the next 1 1⁄2 seasons.
Wade was joined by co-Newcomers of the Week Malik Newman of Kansas and Cameron Lard of Iowa State on the weekly awards list.
Also, there seems to be an effort on Twitter to give Wade a new nickname:
One more shot of #DeanWolf ravaging Big 12 competition for #KStateMBB. I wonder how a wolf will fair against Bears? pic.twitter.com/LHkaVYuecU
— ksu_FAN (@ksu_FAN) January 21, 2018
I will admit, I chuckled when I saw it. But do we really want to stick him with a nickname that references a 33-year-old movie? (I do not acknowledge the TV series.) Dean Wade doesn’t need a nickname, and certainly not this one. I guess what I’m trying to say is
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/10077229/235ct6.jpg)
. And yes, I appreciate the irony of referencing a 14-year-old movie to make this joke.