By Michael Letendre
BURLINGTON – After a standout playing career for the Bristol Eastern boys basketball team, Xavier Wade has transitioned himself into a pretty good coach.
And if you know anything about the likable Wade, that doesn’t come as much surprise.
Wade, a tremendous leader when he took the court at the Thomas M. Monahan Gymnasium, was a commanding presence on the hardwood.
And when the boys team at Lewis Mills had an opening for a coach, the leader of the program went right after Wade – bringing him into the fold as another Bristol connection is helping round out the Spartans’ program.
“Xavier’s been a great addition,” said Lewis Mills coach Ryan Raponey.
Wade was a standout point guard at Eastern and played extremely well during his freshmen campaign at Mount Ada.
After playing collegiately, he’s been involved in coaching hoops, mostly recently in a travel capacity in Plainville.
And Raponey, with ties to Plainville, knew Wade’s resume and scooping him up as an assistant at Mills was probably the biggest no-brainer decision the head coach has ever made.
“He was looking to get into the high school ranks,” said Raponey of Wade. “He had been coaching some AAU, some travel ball in other towns right next door. I heard that and we had a position open up. He was one of the first guys I contacted when the job opened up.”
“I asked if he was interested and he said he was.”
The Lewis Mills program has a lot of experienced voices on the bench and Wade has added his to the program.
Wade has proven to be an excellent teacher, getting the younger kids up to speed and is another respected coach every player can turn to.
“He brings a very good energy to the game, good energy to the gym with the younger kids and he’s a really good guy to have on the bench working with your varsity guys,” said Raponey.
As a player for the Lancers, Wade bought a cool, calm demeanor to the Eastern program under then head coach Mike Giovinazzo.
He was a high IQ player and with some athletes around him, leading the program all the way to the Class L semifinals as a senior.
That year, Eastern went 20-4 overall, tying the school record for victories in a season, and Wade was just a step away from getting the program to the finals for just the second time in school history.
Wade played in 71 career games for the Lancers, scoring 522 points for an average of 7.4 points-per-game.
He was a consistent presence on the varsity level over his final three years, leading Eastern to 48 victories during that span.
Wade is tied for 40th all-time in three-pointers made at Eastern with 25 and his biggest trifecta came at E.O. Smith in Storrs on February 19, 2010.
In a game that featured future UCONN standout Tyler Olander and the contest tied at 53-53 with 10 seconds left in regulation, Wade confidently barreled down the court, dribbling towards the three-point line and the imposing Olander.
Wade squared right up to Olander, unleashed the biggest 3 of his career and the senior saw the ball splash in at the buzzer – propelling the Lancers to an improbable 56-53 victory.
He started games for Mount Ada in Newton, Massachusetts as a freshmen but focused on his studies after his one season for the Mustangs.
He was fearless as a player but the soft-spoken coach has a voice every player should pay attention to.
Wade has a bright future in coaching and at Lewis Mills, he’s only beginning to scratch the surface.
“He was a highly skilled player in high school that won a lot,” said Raponey. “He won a lot in high school and then, he went and played at the next level.”
“What’s better than having a guy like that on your staff?”
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