KeaneyBlue - The URI Basketball Forum

"UMass, LaSalle, Butler, Temple, and Rhode Island are recruiting me the hardest right now,” noted Bede.

On his 18th birthday, three-star point guard Wabissa Bede celebrated in style. With pros such as James Harden, Derrick Rose, Brandon Ingram and Harrison Barnes sitting courtside, the currently unranked point guard made a major case for the next 2017 Rivals150 and showed why he's been receiving a barrage of high-major offers.

The heart and soul of what is probably the best team on the Adidas Circuit, the Mass Rivals, Bede's toughness, shot making and playmaking were all on display as they dismissed the Compton Magic 83-55.

On the night Bede finished with 25 points, five rebounds and three assists. His newest offers are from Virginia Tech, Seton Hall, Minnesota, Nebraska and Dayton. They join LaSalle, UMass, VCU, Butler, Temple, Providence, Boston College and Rhode Island among others who had previously offered.

"I want to sit down with my mom and Coach Vin after this is all over in August and sort things out," said Bede, who also indicated that he expects to take all five official visits and plans to sign during the early signing period.

"Coaches like my intangibles and my leadership," said Bede. "I think the intangibles are what separates me because I'm not athletic like some of these other guys."

ace wrote:Bede's playing out of his mind in this championship game so far.

Wabissa Bede earns MVP honors among a host of impressive prospects during July's third live evaluation period. Here are the top 13 players according to our team of analysts who were on site across the country evaluating prospects.

Wabissa Bede
Point guard
3 STARS
Cushing Academy
Ashburnham, MA
RR: N/A
Ht: 6'1"
Wt: 190 lbs
Class: 2017
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POSITION
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NATIONAL
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STATE
Commitment status:
UNDECIDED

Recruiting wrap: Butler, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, Seton Hall, Minnesota, Providence, Boston College, Rhode Island, Nebraska and many others have offered.

Performance: For leading the Mass Rivals to their second major tournament win of July at the Adidas Summer Championships, Bede earns our MVP of the third live session. He scored from deep, he scored at the rim and more importantly he was a vocal leader and the heart and soul of his team. He's almost added too many offers to keep track of in past week and is a lock to enter the next edition of the 2017 Rivals150 as a four-star prospect.

BEDE A BEAST AND THE STOCK-RISER OF THE SUMMER

The rumblings really started early last winter, long before Cushing Academy guard Wabissa Bede led his Mass Rivals squad to back-to-back titles at the Adidas Gauntlet Finale and the Adidas Summer Championships.

Opposing coaches and scouts would walk away from a Cushing game with the same sentiments: “Yeah, Ashton-Langford is definitely as good as advertised but that Bede kid….man, he is so TOUGH! Who’s offered him so far?”

The first sentence was always said with a headshaking smile while the latter was a comment made out of complete confusion that they hadn’t heard the name Wabissa Bede prior to the given performance.

Regardless of the number of stars next to a player’s name or whatever reputation precedes a certain prospect, being labeled as “tough” is an abbreviated way of saying, “That young man can play on my team any day of the week.” But tough only begins to describe Bede as a player and a teammate.

July is a loaded month for any group of players on the “AAU” hoops circuit. The fact that Rivals went an astounding 21-0 was well documented during their nationally televised finale against Garner Road. When you take a step back and realize that you were watching that broadcast on July 24 and it almost makes your head start to spin. You never would’ve realized it by watching Bede though.

Bede’s endless energy, gregarious nature, and natural vibrancy are contagious while his unselfish style of play is perfect for a Rivals team that goes 12-deep with D-1 talent. Now that the overwhelming majority of his baby fat has been turned into toned muscle, his body has improved to the point that it’s one of his true strengths. Bede’s shiftiness in tight spaces is a product of his strength and his ability to change direction and pull up on a dime drives opponents insane.

The one thing that every college coach will be happy to hear is that there’s nothing fake about Bede’s personality or his energy. Not only is it all genuine but it’s also unrehearsed because the young man has a feel for the moment and is so comfortable in his own skin. The one thing Bede is never mistaken is as soft.

Whether he’s using his strong frame to his advantage in the lane or his killer step-back on the perimeter, the one place coaches at both the prep and college level won’t enjoy running into Wabissa Bede is on the court. That same gap-toothed smile that can light up a room can just as quickly be found at crunch time when it’s time to tear out an opponent’s heart. More coaches are realizing that after the clinic Bede put on throughout the month of July and are putting themselves in positon to be on the correct side when he flashes it!
Butler offered the 6’1” lead guard prior to his sizzling summer but Bede now also counts VCU, UMass, LaSalle, Dayton, Nebraska, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Missouri, and Texas A&M among his list of suitors.

Wabissa Bede, 6' 1", 190, PG


Last year Wenyen Gabriel emerged for Vinny Pastore’s Mass Rivals team. This time around, Bede progressed his recruitment from the mid-major level up to high-major scholarship offers. Bede, who will be ranked when Scout updates its top 100, brings energy and effort to the point guard position. He defends well, makes good decisions with the ball and plays an aggressive brand of basketball.

Recruiting: Butler Bulldogs, Massachusetts Minutemen, Minnesota Golden Gophers, Temple Owls, Dayton Flyers, Villanova Wildcats, Virginia Cavaliers, Virginia Commonwealth Rams, Towson Tigers, Rhode Island Rams, Providence Friars, Boston College Eagles

reckless jake wrote:Bede's final five are Butler, UMass, LaSalle, VA Tech and Minnesota, this per Evan Daniels.

reckless jake wrote:Well, I hope we're in Daron Russell's final list.

RhowdyRam02 wrote:If we were really recruiting him hard then I'm pretty bummed out we couldn't beat out UMass and LaSalle. Hopefully it's just because of the presence of Garrett and Dowtin.