The North Carolina State Wolfpack reportedly have themselves their next head coach.
In fact, the school went all the way to Louisiana to complete its search.
NC State Hires Will Wade
According to multiple reports, the Wolfpack are hiring McNeese State head coach Will Wade to be their next head coach.
NC State is hiring Will Wade as their next men’s basketball Head Coach! 🐺
Wade has made the NCAA Tournament in consecutive years at McNeese State.
Willy the Kid to Raleigh 👀 pic.twitter.com/xLxlqia9hu
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) March 19, 2025
Wade is preparing to coach his McNeese State squad in the NCAA Tournament as they are set to face off against Clemson in the first round.
In back-to-back seasons, Wade has led his Cowboys to two NCAA Tournaments and two Southland Conference titles. His team has only lost two games combined in the conference over the last two seasons, which is ridiculous.
It is safe to say that the Wolfpack hired a very good head coach who knows what it is like to coach and recruit in the Southeast. This will be Wade’s second time coaching in the ACC (he was a graduate assistant at Clemson from 2005-07).
What This Means for the Wolfpack
Under former head coach Kevin Keatts, there was simply too much inconsistency.
In Keatts’s eight seasons at the helm in Raleigh, the team made it to the NCAA Tournament just three times. They did make it to the Final Four two seasons ago, thanks to the magical play of big man D.J. Burns. But after going 12-19 overall this season, it was time for a change.
You can’t finish with a .500-or-worse record five times in eight years in a conference such as the ACC, where your team needs to bring its best every night.
Wade has a very solid track record for where he has been, which should excite Wolfpack fans everywhere. The Tennessee native has made the NCAA Tournament seven times in 11 years as a head coach. He has won four conference tournaments and has been around the block despite being just 42 years of age.
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Time will tell if NC. State can climb back into contention for years to come once Wade arrives after his NCAA Tournament run with McNeese State is over.
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