Blacksburg鈥檚 Wade Bland: Point guard with goals
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Wade Bland has been playing hoops since the age of five. As this sixteen-year-old heads into his junior year at Blacksburg High School, his hard work will be paying off.
Wade, a natural athlete, tried lots of different sports over the years. But nothing was as fulfilling as basketball. His father, Ronnie, may have something to do with that. Ronnie was an avid player for years during noontime pickup games at Virginia Tech鈥檚 War Memorial gym. Wade says, 鈥淗e was the first person to introduce me to the game and is probably my number one supporter. He has built my game from the ground up and I can proudly say that if it weren鈥檛 for him, I wouldn鈥檛 be the player I am today.鈥�
Wade quickly moved from recreation leagues to AAU travel teams that allowed for year round play. Then many elite Virginia teams began recruiting him and he played with the best talent in the region. He鈥檚 had the chance to play in tournaments up and down the east coast from Atlantic City to Myrtle Beach. Most recently, Wade was invited to an invite-only camp offered by Hoop Group in Pennsylvania. Hoop Group provides instruction, competition, and exposure for young players as they move toward the goal of future college play. Wade鈥檚 game has been elevated by each new camp.
Wade鈥檚 position on the court is point guard. It鈥檚 the point guard鈥檚 job to assess the defense and set up the offensive strategy. He believes the game of basketball has taught him teamwork, leadership, perseverance, and the value of putting in the work. Wade says one of his biggest influences in the point guard position is Justin Robinson from the 2015-2019 Hokie team. 鈥淗e鈥檚 the reason I love wearing the number 5. His game was pure, he could score on all three levels, and he was a great leader for the team.鈥�
Wade has played for the varsity Blacksburg Bruins since his freshman year. Last year, Wade received 4D All-Region First Team, River Ridge District First Team, All County, All City, and the BHS Basketball MVP awards. He has already set goals for this Bruin season. 鈥淚 would like to see our varsity basketball team make it to district and region championships and work well together as a team throughout the entire season.鈥� His mother, Susan, says, 鈥淗e鈥檚 very committed. He鈥檚 in the gym basically every single day. Very few days off. Either the weight room or getting up hundreds of shots-or sometimes both.鈥�
This summer was spent improving his game, but he鈥檚 still a teenager. Wade enjoys video games and being at the beach when he鈥檚 not training. He keeps his eyes on the prize though. 鈥淭he most important thing about me is that my academics are just as important to me as basketball. I work as hard in the classroom as I do on the court.鈥� Keep watching the rise of a Blacksburg native son. It will be exciting to see which program Wade chooses in college and beyond!
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