FAYETTEVILLE — Trey Wade introduced himself to Arkansas fans last October with a flawless rendition of an Usher classic prior to the Razorbacks’ annual Red-White game in Barnhill Arena.
Wade, at that point unavailable to play because of a knee injury, tapped into his entertainer side and wowed the crowd with a mix of showmanship and charisma. He was the clear winner in the pre-game karaoke contest.
There was not a close second.
In the college basketball world, Wade classifies as a veteran. Arkansas is the 6-6 forward’s third program since 2018.
Throughout the years he has learned valuable lessons on and off the floor that he can pass on to teammates and those around him daily. With the Razorbacks, he has shown to be a unique personality and, of late, perhaps just what the team needed to help turn its season around.
“Trey’s the uncle of the team,” a smiling Au’Diese Toney said Monday. “He just gives us uncle vibes. He's an old man. Trey, he’s always the vocal leader. If he sees something he’s always going to point it out and let you know — just the way an uncle is.
“Like if he sees his nephews doing something they don’t need to be doing, he’s going to address it right away. That’s just like on the court. If you know one of the younger guys or (someone) isn’t doing what they’re supposed to do, he’s going to follow up on it.”
Razorbacks coach Eric Musselman, who signed Wade out of the NCAA transfer portal from Wichita State, is appreciative of the way Wade communicates. He considers the forward one of Arkansas’ best talkers behind closed doors, and that attribute has translated to games.
His teammates respond positively, Musselman noted, out of respect.
“We call it buddy coaching. He does a great job with that,” Musselman said. “He's an intangible player. He's a guy we're not going to run offensive plays for. He knows his defensive assignments, he’s a great defensive block-out player.
“But, yeah, I do think from a chemistry standpoint the team really not only likes playing with Trey but they also really respect what he does for them on the floor, and how unselfish he is offensively and defensively. He’s an unselfish player.”
In Arkansas’ four-game winning streak, Wade has been valuable in terms of leadership and production, though it may not always appear in the final box score.
Wade has leaned on his experience and know-how during stressful situations in recent games.
“You need somebody with a (strong) voice like that, like Trey, who’s been playing basketball for a long time,” Toney added, “to be able to step up and be able to point out the things that he sees on the court going on that other people don’t see.”
Prior to Arkansas’ recent run, Wade’s minutes were inconsistent. Through the Dec. 18 loss to Hofstra in North Little Rock, he had not played more than 20 minutes in a game. He then received starting nods in back-to-back outings against Elon and Mississippi State, during which he contributed 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks.
Against Vanderbilt and Texas A&M, he totaled nine minutes and was largely a non-factor. But, one thing experience brings a player is the mindset to always remain ready to play.
Wade has re-introduced himself in Arkansas’ last four games, playing 30-plus minutes in three, and greatly impacted the team’s play. In that stretch, he has averaged 8 points on 63.2% shooting and 3 rebounds.
“Last year I really relied on Justin (Smith) and Jalen (Tate for input),” Musselman said. “I know when we made the decision to start some of our younger players, I had consulted with some of our veterans. They felt it was time, meaning the locker room felt like some of the younger guys had earned that start.
“I think the team, they were ready for Trey to have a bigger role as well, because he’s not a guy that’s going to take bad shots. He’s not going to be a ball stopper.”
In addition to his offense and plus jumper (4 of 5 from three-point range in SEC games), Wade has held conference opponents to 13 of 42 (31%) from the floor as the nearest Razorbacks defender, including 0 of 9 beyond the arc.
Lineups featuring him in the last four games have allowed 0.81 points per possession, and opposing teams have shot 22.4% from three, according to Hoop Lens analytics.
“With our team we needed to find that guy that would be a really, really great team complementary guy,” Musselman said. “I think that’s what we’ve found in Trey.”