George School's Weise looking for new college due to Saint Rose's impending closure

Dante Weise expected to play all four of his college basketball seasons at The College of Saint Rose. He liked the campus in Albany after Saint Rose was his lone Division II scholarship offer.

And he was off to a solid start, earning Northeast-10 Conference rookie of the week honors Nov. 26 for averaging 13.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and shooting 9-for-13 (.692) in a pair of games for the Golden Knights.

But news that the school, a private Catholic college founded in 1920, would close at the end of the academic year due to financial losses and a declining enrollment has forced Weise to change his plans.

Weise, a George School graduate, is continuing to play his freshman year at Saint Rose after applying to the transfer portal in search of his next college.

"It was a lot of mixed emotions," Weise said. "I'm in a really good situation now with my team and coaches. I guess my first reaction is we can't do anything about it. As much as it (stinks), we can't control anything that's going on."

Weise, a 6-foot-1 point guard, has started the last nine games after coming off the bench in his first two for 5-6 Saint Rose. He's averaging 7.7 points and team-highs in assists (3.5), steals (1.9) and minutes (31.3), as well as shooting .875 from the foul line.

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"I feel like my success here is because it's a great situation with the coaches and players," Weise said. "All I can do is move on. It's been tough on me and our team, but we can take pride in being the last team to wear a Saint Rose jersey."

Weise has been communicating regularly with George School head coach Ben Luber as he looks for a college that he can attend later this year.

"The main thing I'm looking for is the right situation," Weise said.

Weise likes playing in the Northeast-10 Conference, which includes Southern Connecticut and Adelphia, and thinks his style fits the conference well. But he's keeping his options open and plans to visit the schools he's seriously considering.

"The next school will be getting a floor general who plays for his teammates, loves the game and hates to lose," Luber said.

As a George School senior, Weise helped the Cougars win their first league championship (the Friends School League) in 52 years by averaging 3.23 assists per turnover, in addition to drawing 26 offensive fouls and compiling a team-best plus-minus of +338. He received third-team all-state honors for non-PIAA high schools in 2022-23.

Weise has continued playing the same way and impacting games at Saint Rose.

"Dante is looking for a program that values his leadership qualities and intangibles that lead to winning," Luber said. "He is playing basketball at a very high level at Saint Rose and his recruitment is picking up each day."

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Tom Moore: tmoore@couriertimes.com; @TomMoorePhilly

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: George School's Weise looking for new college due to Saint Rose's closure