State Basketball Roundup: Wade undergoes successful knee surgery

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MIAMI - Former Marquette University guard Dwayne Wade of the NBA champion Miami Heat underwent successful surgery yesterday to repair damage in his left knee.

He’ll begin his rehab immediately, and he’s expected to be fully ready for training camp in the fall. The 30-year-old Wade led Marquette to the NCAA’s Final Four in 2003. Three years later, he won the first of his two NBA titles with the Heat. He played in 49 games in the last regular season, averaging 22 points, five rebounds, and four-and-a-half assists per contest. Wade also played in 23 post-season games, averaging 23 points, five-plus boards, and almost four-and-a-half assists.

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Milwaukee area native Steve Novak is expected to return to the NBA’s New York Knicks. His agent said yesterday that Novak will sign a four-year contract worth $15-million after the league’s signing period begins tomorrow. Novak is from Brown Deer and starred at Marquette. He was a journeyman in his first five pro seasons, playing with four other N=BA teams before he had a career season with the Knicks. The guard averaged almost nine points in 54 games with New York this past year. And he led the NBA in three-point shooting, making just over 47-percent from beyond the arc. His agent Mark Bartelstein said Novak would not have been able to return to the Big Apple if it wasn’t for a new clause in the collective bargaining agreement that ended last year’s lockout. Until this year, teams could not exceed the salary cap to sign their own free agents unless the teams drafted them or acquired them in trades. The Knicks acquired Novak off-waivers – and the players’ union successfully argued that those types of players should eligible for cap exceptions as well.

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College basketball recruiters will converge on Mequon Homestead High School this week, when some of the nation’s top high school junior-and-senior boys will compete. The NY-2-LA Sports’ Next Level Invitational begins tomorrow at Homestead, and runs through Sunday. Over 135 boys’ teams will compete in a variety of age groups. Among the seniors taking part are Marquette recruit Deonte Burton, a forward with Milwaukee Vincent – Indiana recruit Luke Fischer, a forward from Germantown – and Matt Thomas of Onalaska, who’s committed to Iowa State. Also playing are seniors Nick Fuller of Sun Prairie, Jarvis Garrett of West Allis Central, Scotty Tyler of Grafton, and Austin Malone-Mitchell of Milwaukee Rufus King. Among the juniors competing are Kevon Looney of Milwaukee Hamilton and Badgers’ target Rashad Vaughn, who’s from Minneapolis.

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