Will Wade’s Candid Admission: McNeese Coach Confirms Contact with NC State Amid Coaching Vacancy
In the world of college basketball, where rumors and speculation often swirl like a fast-paced game on the court, McNeese men’s basketball head coach Will Wade has taken a refreshingly straightforward approach. On Wednesday, Wade openly acknowledged that he has been in contact with NC State regarding its head-coaching vacancy. This revelation comes in the wake of NC State’s decision to part ways with Kevin Keatts on March 9, less than a year after Keatts led the Wolfpack to the Final Four.
Wade, who is currently in his second season at McNeese, has led his team to a No. 12 seed in the Midwest Region. They are set to face No. 5 Clemson on Thursday at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, with the game airing on TruTV at 3:15 p.m. ET. In a news conference before the team’s 30-minute light practice, Wade addressed the situation with a level of transparency that is often rare in the coaching world.
“There’s no need to hide it. The guys are reading it on social media. It’s no secret and I’m not going to ask them to do something I’m not willing to do,” Wade stated. “It’s no good if you don’t address it and if you sit there and BS ’em. They know. They can read right through the BS. So you might as well just [say] ‘this is what it is.'”
When asked specifically about NC State and whether he or those close to him have been in contact with the school, Wade responded directly, “Yes.”
Wade, 42, has been a standout coach at McNeese, earning Southland Conference Coach of the Year honors in back-to-back seasons. Under his leadership, McNeese has achieved 57 wins over his two-year tenure, marking the most in the 82-year history of the program in such a span.
Before his time at McNeese, Wade’s last high-major job was at LSU, where he was dismissed in March of 2022 following LSU’s receipt of a notice of allegations from the NCAA. Despite this, Wade remains candid about the realities of coaching and the nature of job opportunities in the field.
He spoke openly with reporters about the parallels between coaches seeking new opportunities and players navigating the transfer portal. “I told our coaching staff last year, I don’t want to hear any complaining about calling kids in the portal while we’re at the NCAA tournament because half the coaching staffs in the country, those assistants are trying to get other jobs, too,” he explained. “So if they’re trying to get other jobs, why can’t the kids go try to get other jobs? It just makes intuitive sense to me.”
NC State is coming off a challenging 12-19 season, which included a 5-15 record in the ACC. As for McNeese’s upcoming game against Clemson, Wade, a Clemson alumnus (Class of 2005), expressed his deep connection to his alma mater.
- Wade’s players are aware that they don’t practice during Clemson games.
- McNeese’s pregame schedule was adjusted earlier this year to accommodate Clemson’s ACC title game.
- Wade’s rooting interest was tested when he coached at LSU and faced Clemson for the national title.
- McNeese assistant Vernon Hamilton is a former star player at Clemson and worked for Clemson coach Brad Brownell.
Wade also shared his enthusiasm for Clemson football gamedays, admitting, “I get nervous. Yeah, I get nervous, and I follow it. I follow the recruiting closely. I follow [the] big recruiting weekend a couple weekends ago. I follow all that stuff pretty closely. So I’ve gotten better as the years go on. Of course winning a couple national championships helps too.”
Despite his passion for Clemson, Wade refrains from criticizing Clemson’s head coach, Dabo Swinney. “I don’t rip the coaching. I know how hard coaching is,” he added.
Originally Written by: Pete Thamel,Mike Reiss
