How Will Wade’s ability to flip a program made him one of the hottest coaching candidates

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Will Wade patrolled the court as McNeese shot around for 40 minutes inside Amica Mutual Pavilion. Donning a black Under Armour “Bayou Bandits Basketball” shirt with matching shorts and white shoes, the Cowboys’ leader seemed comfortable.  A matchup with No. 5 seed Clemson looming a little more than 24 hours later didn’t seem to faze him. Neither did the rumors of his next stop in the college basketball coaching landscape. Wade appeared as if this was just another Wednesday afternoon on the court.  As he walked around, Wade kept an eye on his entire roster, as well as viral student manager Amir “Aura” Khan, who seemed to draw more media attention than anyone else on the court.  By the time the second-year McNeese coach reached a row of university administrators sitting on the bench, Wade cracked a smile.  “This never gets old,” Wade said with his smirk.  Wade, who is expected to replace Kevin Keatts as NC State’s next men’s basketball coach, is speaking from experience. He has led three different programs to the NCAA Tournament and this week marks his seventh trip to the Big Dance in his 11-season career.  He turned a McNeese program that had 23 losses during the 2022-23 campaign into a Southland Conference juggernaut. The Cowboys are 40-2 in conference play under Wade, which is the best conference record in the country over that span.  Wade is now set to become NC State's next men's basketball coach. And his ability to win games in bunches — right away — is what sets him apart. But how did he get to this point?