Marquette University Athletics
Diener and Wade recognized among conference's best
3/8/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Conference USA is celebrating its 10th anniversary during the 2004-05 season. In conjunction, the league is naming a Team of the Decade for each of the conference?s 19 sports. Men?s Basketball is the latest sport to have its All-Decade team released.
?When you look at the end of this league and the fact that Marquette is well represented as part of its legacy, it not only means something right now but will mean more for years to come,? said head coach Tom Crean.
Diener, recently named to the 2005 All-Conference USA first team, ranks seventh on the conference?s all-time scoring list and is second in assists. Out for the season with a left hand injury suffered on February 22, Diener need just 16 assists over his final three conference games to finish number one all-time.
A 2003 second team and 2004 first team selection, Diener finished his career at Marquette as the school?s all-time leader in three-point field goals, second in assists, and third all-time in scoring. Diener, with 1,691 career points, wound up 83 points shy of breaking George Thompson?s 35-year old scoring mark.
The 6-1 point guard averaged 19.7 points, 7.0 assists and 3.9 rebounds during his senior campaign. For his efforts, Diener was recognized national as a finalist for the Cousy Award and Senior CLASS Award, as well as being named a mid-season Naismith and Wooden all-American.
?Our time in the league was a tremendous experience for everyone and this honor will allow people to always remember the contributions Dwyane and Travis made to the traditions of Marquette University and Conference USA,? said Crean.
One of the most decorated players in Marquette basketball history, Dwyane Wade had as profound an impact on the program as any player to dawn the blue and gold. In his two seasons of play, Wade led Marquette to 53 victories, two NCAA appearances and the 2003 Final Four, the school?s third overall but first since 1977.
Wade was a two-time All-Conference USA first team selection, the 2003 conference player and defensive player of the year, and a six-time conference player of the week selection. He scored 710 points and led Marquette to the Conference USA regular season championship during his final season of play.
He was named an AP, USBWA and NABC all-American, as well as a finalist for the Wooden Award. Wade led Marquette to the sixth-best winning percentage in Division I during his two seasons at Marquette.
Marquette, along with Cincinnati and Louisville, were the only schools to have multiple selections to the team. The two were joined on the team by Cincinnati's Danny Fortson, Steve Logan and Kenyon Martin, Louisville's Reece Gaines and Francisco Garcia, Charlotte's DeMarco Johnson, DePaul's Quentin Richardson, and Memphis' Antonio Burks.
Voting on the awards was done by a media panel with one representative in each of the league?s cities
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