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03/22 15:52 CDT McNeese's Will Wade signs a 6-year deal to become NC State
coach, AP source says
McNeese's Will Wade signs a 6-year deal to become NC State coach, AP source says
By AARON BEARD
AP Basketball Writer
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) --- McNeese coach Will Wade has a signed six-year deal to
take over as N.C. State's next coach, a person with knowledge of the situation
told The Associated Press on Saturday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the school hasn't
publicly discussed its coaching search.
Wade's second NCAA Tournament run in as many seasons with the Cowboys ended
Saturday with a second-round loss to Purdue, which came two days after a
first-round upset of his alma mater, Clemson. Wade's two-year tenure in Lake
Charles, Louisiana, marked a successful climb back after being fired at LSU in
2022 because of allegations of recruiting violations. Those were rooted in a
federal corruption investigation in college basketball that became public in
2017, with N.C. State among the multiple schools entangled in that probe.
OG Media first reported earlier this week that the two sides had reached an
agreement for Wade to lead the Wolfpack, while CBS Sports was first to report
the signing after the Purdue loss. The 42-year-old Wade had confirmed talks
with N.C. State before the Clemson win, an unusually candid response compared
with coaches typically deflecting questions about other jobs.
"Just tell it like it is," Wade said Wednesday.
Asked about the N.C. State job again after Saturday's loss to Purdue, Wade
said: "I'll worry about that tomorrow. Look, I'm an honest guy, but today I
want to put a bow on everything with McNeese if we can."
Wade will replace Kevin Keatts, who was fired after eight seasons on March 9.
That came less than a year after he guided N.C. State to its first Atlantic
Coast Conference Tournament title since 1987 and its first Final Four trip
since the late Jim Valvano's "Cardiac Pack" did it in an improbable 1983 NCAA
title run.
Keatts had guided N.C. State to three NCAA bids and had the program in position
for another when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of March Madness
in 2020. But the Wolfpack went 12-19 this season to kill any lingering buzz
from last year's remarkable run.
That ultimately led the school to move on from Keatts even though he was under
contract until April 2030, putting N.C. State on the hook for roughly $6.9
million in base salary alone. And it marked a reset for the program, down to
how it handles finances for roster construction with players able to profit
from their athletic fame and revenue sharing set to start nationally next
season.
Wade's first head-coaching job was a two-year stint at Chattanooga from
2013-15, followed by two NCAA bids in as many seasons at VCU before leaving for
LSU in 2017. The peak of his tenure with the Tigers came in his second season,
with LSU winning the Southeastern Conference regular-season title and reaching
the Sweet 16.
He returned to the sideline after his LSU exit at McNeese in 2023, with his
tenure beginning with NCAA penalties that included a 10-game suspension to open
his first season. But the Cowboys teams went on to win 58 games in two seasons,
a rapid climb for a program that had won just 56 games combined in the five
seasons before Wade's arrival.
"I think I needed somewhere that was going to embrace me and the town needed
somebody to embrace them," Wade said Saturday of his McNeese tenure. "It just
worked. I can't explain how. I guess the winning helps, but it worked. Just
unforgettable."
___
AP Sports Writer Kyle Hightower in Providence, Rhode Island, contributed to
this report.
___
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