A Man on the Move : Playing for 5 Teams in 2 Years Hasn’t slowed Ex-Banning Star Mark Wade’s Drive for That Elusive Berth in the NBA

Some days, the morning light comes streaming in and Mark Wade has to check the skyline to figure out what city he’s in. Towns pass like the breeze.

“I’m well traveled,” Wade said. “I kind of keep my bags packed. You never know where you’re going to be living.”

Such is the life of a vagabond in sneakers.

The quest to play in the National Basketball Assn. can be a trail of tribulations for many players. The road is often filled with dribbling detours.

Wade has seen a few turns. He has worn five basketball uniforms in the past two years. He’s played for 10 teams since Banning High School. He has taken the court in front of 60,000 fans at the NCAA Final Four. He has played in front of 600 in Rock Island, Ill.

Even at age 22, the miles take their toll. “It gets monotonous and you feel a little weary,” Wade said.

The latest stop is a familiar town--Las Vegas. Wade spent his final two collegiate seasons as point guard for the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels. Now he’s playing for the Las Vegas Silver Streaks of the World Basketball League.

It’s a small World Basketball League. There are just six teams and rules state that no player can be taller than 6-foot-4. Crowds at the Thomas and Mack Center tend to be small too.

If it all seems a long way from the big time, it is. Yet, it doesn’t faze Wade. He still pictures himself on an NBA roster.

“Basketball is all I want to do,” Wade said. “To get paid that kind of money for doing something you love to do is just icing on the cake. I have desire and the belief that I can’t walk away now. I still see a little light at the end of the tunnel. A very little light.”

Not long ago, the light was very bright. It was shining right on Mark Wade. Briefly.

The NBA season was winding down last spring and the Golden State Warriors found themselves in need of a point guard. They called Wade.

“I was in dreamland,” Wade said. “I couldn’t believe it. I don’t think I slept a wink the night before I left. I caught a 6 a.m. flight. I wanted to get out of town before they changed their minds.”

Wade signed a couple of 10-day contracts and spent the final 15 games of the year with Golden State.

“It was an experience,” Wade recalled. “The first night I sat there looking at the name on the back of my jersey to see if it was real. There I was guarding all-star John Stockton. I knew it was real the first time John Stockton went by me.”

The stay with Golden State went by as quickly as Stockton. When the season ended, so did Wade’s NBA days.

“We released him because we didn’t think he could make our team this year,” Warrior Coach and General Manager Don Nelson said. “He did OK, but we took a good look at him and decided we needed somebody better.”

So, it was back on the road again for Wade. Same old story. The signs that led him out of town were familiar.

“The whole deal is getting that monkey off my back that I can’t shoot and getting rid of the stigma of being short,” Wade said. “I have the passing ability to get in the NBA, but I’m labeled as just a passer.”

Shedding the doubts isn’t easy. Wade’s shadows have always been that he’s too short at 6 foot and possesses no outside shooting ability. Those have been the questions about Wade since he grew up in San Pedro. They followed him when he transferred from Oklahoma to El Camino College to UNLV.

“People said we couldn’t win because Mark couldn’t shoot,” UNLV Coach Jerry Tarkanian said. “Hell, we won almost all the time with Mark in there.”

The Rebels won 70 of 77 games in two seasons with Wade as the point guard. In 1986, Wade handed out 406 assists to shatter the UNLV season record and lead the Rebels to a Final Four appearance.

“He played just great for us,” Tarkanian said. “He was the glue that held our club together. I thought he was as good a point guard as there was in the country.”

Wade looked great in Tarkanian’s eyes but was dismissed by NBA scouts. No one drafted him.

“I was really disappointed after having such a great season,” Wade said. “I thought I deserved at least a shot. You can’t tell me that every guy who was drafted was better than me.”

The snub sent Wade packing for the Continental Basketball Assn. That began the days of tiresome travel and fleeting faces.

“The CBA has a higher turnover than McDonald’s,” Wade said. “It’s hard to keep the players straight in your mind. But its definitely a vehicle for getting into the NBA.”

Wade initially hooked up with the Pensacola Tornados. But he was released just before the CBA season started. The Quad City Thunder immediately picked him up so he packed his bags for Rock Island. Three weeks later, Wade was released again.

The second cut had Wade questioning his future. His basketball days seemed numbered. He was ready to go back to UNLV and finish a hotel management degree. Then Quad City called again.

Wade finished the CBA season with the Thunder. The clouds of obscurity passed on March 30. Don Nelson called and Wade was off to the NBA--for 25 days. Barely a weekend Warrior.

The short stint with Golden State produced the same nagging doubt about Wade’s ability. He averaged 3.1 assists per game in 11 appearances off the bench. But his shooting was dismal. He made just 3 of 20 field goal attempts.

“He does some things nice,” Nelson said. “But he’s not a very good offensive shooter so everybody plays him for the pass.”

Wade headed back to Vegas to play for the Silver Streaks. He’s currently tossing in 10 points per game while also leading the World Basketball League in assists.

Wade’s shooting has shown improvement this summer, but it’s difficult to improve your height. Silver Streak Coach Sonny Allen said that’s what is really keeping Wade out of the NBA.

“Mark is an ideal point guard,” Allen said. “He passes the ball to everyone, which pleases the four other guys. He’s a hard-nosed defensive player who always gives a great effort.

“But it’s very difficult for a 6-foot kid to play in the NBA. You can’t just be good at 6 foot in the NBA. You have to be super talented like Isiah Thomas.”

Wade doesn’t agree that being short is a shortcoming.

“That’s the NBA style of thinking that you have to be tall to play this game,” he said. “That’s a myth.”

The numbers that concern Wade are not his height but how long the NBA benches are. Many talented players get caught in a numbers game. Some guys fit into the plans of only some teams.

“The NBA is real political,” Wade said. “It’s all about being with the right team at the right opportunity. If somebody gives me the opportunity, there’s no doubt in my mind that I can make it.”

Getting another opportunity may be a bigger problem for Wade than his shaky shooting or short size.

“You don’t get a whole lot of chances in this league,” Nelson said.

Just one more chance is all Wade is hoping for. So far no team has called.

If Wade doesn’t get invited to an NBA camp this fall, he plans on giving the CBA another season. His hunger to play in the NBA is too great to unpack his bags now.

“The time with the Warriors was like having the appetizer for the meal,” Wade said. “It gave me a taste of what the game is all about. Now, I want the whole meal.”

Better make that fast food. No telling what city he’ll be dribbling in.