Skip to main content
nc-state logo

NC State set to hire Will Wade as next men’s basketball coach

image_6483441 (3)by:Noah Fleischman•about 11 hours•

fleischman_noah

Will Wade
Kim Klement-Imagn Images

NC State has its guy. McNeese coach Will Wade is set to be the Wolfpack’s 21st coach in program history, according to O&G Triangle Media’s Joe Giglio and CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander.  

Wade’s deal isn’t signed, yet, according to Norlander, but is expected to be completed once McNeese’s season ends.

The two-time Southland Conference Tournament champion will replace Kevin Keatts, who was fired after the Pack missed the ACC Tournament this past season, less than a year removed from taking the team to the Final Four in the 2023-24 campaign. 

Wade, who was previously the head coach at Chattanooga, VCU and LSU, holds a 243-104 career record in nine seasons at the helm of a Division I program. He led McNeese to a 36-2 conference record in his two seasons with the Cowboys, which are set to make their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance under Wade against Clemson on Thursday afternoon.

Wade has now led three different programs to the Big Dance — VCU, LSU and McNeese — across nine trips to the tournament in his 11 seasons.

The 42-year-old emerged as the Wolfpack’s top contender, alongside VCU’s Ryan Odom, early in the coaching search as NC State’s administration had a small pool of candidates to pull from. The process moved fast once Odom appeared to be focused on the Virginia opening, and the Pack didn’t waste time on its pursuit of Wade.

Wade will have his hands full upon arrival in Raleigh. The Wolfpack has just seven scholarship players on the roster ahead of the transfer portal’s full opening on Monday. Wade will have to retool a roster for his inaugural season, something he has experience with from his time at McNeese.

Now, Wade will have the chance to overhaul a program that won just five ACC games this past season off a Final Four run the year before.

You may also like