This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is sophomore point guard Kai Wade of the men’s basketball team. Last year, Wade was one of three freshmen to regularly start for the Panthers. He was named All-Central Carolina Conference following a successful season which saw Orange reach the state playoffs for the first time since 2016-2017. The Panthers finished third in the CCC and Wade was the starting point guard for 25 games. He was second on the team with 11.5 points per game. He also led the team with 2.8 assists per game and 1.8 steals per game. For much of the spring and summer, Kai has traveled throughout the country playing summer basketball. His presence in Orange’s backcourt led Orange to its first winning season in six years. Wade will be among the young faces in the lineup next year as Orange aims to reach the top of the new CCC, where Northwood is out of the league and Southern Alamance is in. It was announced earlier this summer that Orange will play in the John Wall Invitational at Broughton High School in Raleigh this summer, one of the most prestigious holiday tournaments in the state.