NC State is no stranger to McNeese State coach Will Wade.
Wade was an assistant coach at Virginia Commonwealth when the Wolfpack went after Shaka Smart in 2011. He was the head coach at VCU and a finalist when NC State conducted the coaching search in 2017, which ultimately landed Kevin Keatts from North Carolina-Wilmington.
Much has changed for Wade over the years.
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The 42-year-old Wade, who attended Clemson, became the Tennessee-Chattanooga coach for two years from 2013-15, going 40-25. He then did two years at VCU, where he went 51-20 and went two trips to the NCAA Tournament.
After not getting the NC State job, he pivoted to going to LSU, where he went 105-51, with five games he didn’t coach due to suspension.
Wade took over at McNeese State in Lake Charles, La., and had to sit out the first 10 games of the 2023-24 season due to NCAA suspension. The squad went 8-2 without him, including a win at VCU in the opener, and went on to finish 30-4 overall and 17-1 in the Southland. The squad was blowout 86-65 by No. 5-seeded Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament.
McNeese State finished the regular season at 25-6 overall and 19-1 in the Southland, and begin league tournament action at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Click below to listen to the analysis of The Wolfpack Central's Jacey Zembal on Wade's career path.
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