Will Wade Set to Take Over as Head Coach at NC State After Successful Stint at McNeese

Will Wade, currently leading McNeese’s basketball team, is poised to become the new head coach at NC State, as reported by ESPN on Wednesday. McNeese recently claimed the Southland Conference regular season and tournament titles, positioning themselves to face off against Clemson in the NCAA tournament this Thursday at 3:15 p.m. ET on TruTV. The announcement of Wade’s new position is expected to follow McNeese’s exit from the tournament. Wade confirmed discussions with the Wolfpack regarding the coaching role and candidly shared, “There’s no point in hiding it. The team sees it on social media—it’s no secret. I’m not going to ask them to do something I’m not. Trying to deceive them doesn’t help; they understand what’s happening.”

Wade has spent the last two seasons at McNeese, amassing 57 victories and an impressive 36-2 record in conference matches, clinching consecutive regular-season and tournament titles. During his five-year tenure at LSU from 2018 to 2022, Wade guided the Tigers to three NCAA tournament appearances, securing their first SEC regular-season championship in a decade in 2019 with an overall record of 105-51. Despite his accomplishments, LSU dismissed Wade before the NCAA tournament in 2022 following an NCAA notice of allegations, including five significant Level I violations and one Level II violation concerning Wade.

Previously, Wade was suspended just before the 2019 NCAA tournament due to reports of a federal wiretap allegedly capturing him discussing a lucrative proposition for a recruit. This year, in June 2023, he received a two-year show-cause order and a 10-game suspension due to three Level I violations, allegedly involving unauthorized payments to a player’s ex-fiancée, lack of cooperation in an investigation, and failing to encourage compliance. Prior to his role at LSU, Wade was VCU’s head coach for two seasons, securing 51 wins and a regular-season championship, with NCAA tournament appearances each year. He also spent two seasons successfully leading Chattanooga, achieving a 27-7 record in SoCon play.