Ever since he got fired from LSU amid a recruiting scandal, it was clear that Will Wade was on his way back to the highest level of college basketball. After one season off, Wade went to McNeese State for two seasons before accepting the head coach job at NC State after the 2024-25 season.
NC State basketball reached the Final Four after a Cinderella run in 2024, but it couldn’t keep the momentum rolling into this season. The Wolfpack finished with a very disappointing 12-19 record, including a 5-15 record in ACC play. That led to the firing of former head coach Kevin Keatts at the end of the season.
Despite the disappointing record in 2024-25, Wade isn’t worried about any sort of hiccup when he gets to the sidelines. He expressed mountains of confidence and even made a promise to the Wolfpack fans at his introductory press conference on Tuesday, according to Pack Pride of 247 Sports.
“I want to be very clear, this is not a rebuild,” Wade stated confidently. “We’re going to be in the top part of the ACC next year, and we’re going to the NCAA Tournament. This is not going to be something that’s going to take a while.”
NC State fans will surely be hoping that Wade is right. They will desperately want the team to get back to prominence, especially in an ACC that feels weak at the top outside of Duke at the moment. With Wade’s ability to build a roster through the transfer portal, NC State will have a chance to be back among the sport’s elite.
Will Wade has the credentials for an immediate retool at NC State
No matter what you think of Will Wade, there’s no doubt that he has the credentials that will give NC State basketball fans optimism that he is the right man for the job.
Wade took over a McNeese State program that had not won 20 games since 2011 and had not reached the NCAA Tournament since 2002. How did he respond? Wade led the Cowboys to a 30-4 record in 2023-24 and a 28-7 record this season. To end his time at McNeese, Wade and company showed up as the No. 12 seed and knocked off fifth-seeded Clemson in the first round of the Big Dance on Thursday.
Wade’s win over Clemson could have been some foreshadowing to what he plans to do to the ACC in the coming years. His time at McNeese showed that he is capable of turning a program around in just one offseason through the transfer portal. Some of his stars with the Cowboys could be coming to Raleigh, so Wade should have somewhat of a foundation to build off of.
In addition to the recruiting, Wade’s teams are always athletic, they play fast and they defend well. With the luxury of recruiting in the ACC now under his belt, that should not change for the new Wolfpack head coach heading into 2025-26.
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