Will Wade Is Going Back to LSU, and NC State's "Red Reckoning" Just Blew Up in One Season
Here's a wild one: LSU just fired Matt McMahon and brought Will Wade back to Baton Rouge after Wade's messy exit four years ago. And the kicker? Wade is leaving NC State after just one season to take the job. Yeah, that happened on Thursday, and college basketball's coaching carousel officially got weird.
Wade's NC State Experiment Failed Fast
Remember the hype around Wade landing at NC State last spring? The "red reckoning" was supposed to be real. Wade had spent five seasons at LSU from 2018 to 2022, taking the Tigers to three out of four NCAA tournaments and winning their first SEC regular season title in a decade back in 2019. After getting fired by LSU on the eve of the tournament for NCAA violations, he rehab'd his image by winning 58 games in two seasons at McNeese. He was supposed to be the guy who turned programs around fast, brought in high-level talent, and shook things up.
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👉 Claim Your Free $10 at KalshiAt NC State, it didn't work out. What started as a season filled with promise and optimism ended in a First Four loss to Texas. One year. That's all it took for the "red reckoning" to fizzle.
What Now for the Wolfpack?
NC State isn't Duke or North Carolina, but they're sitting right on the border of the next tier in the ACC pecking order. The program has the résumé: two national championships from four Final Fours, and they're an NCAA tournament staple. They funded Wade's roster at a reasonable level, and there's enough there for a coach to build something competitive. Athletic director Boo Corrigan just ran a coaching search 12 months ago, so he knows the market.
Don't expect the same targets this time. Wade and Ryan Odom, who were the top two options last cycle, aren't happening. Look for Saint Louis' Josh Schertz to be at or near the top of the short list. Schertz has made himself one of the premier up and coming coaches in the game, winning 32 games with Indiana State in 2023-24 before taking over at Saint Louis. He's won 48 games in two seasons there.
This is a mess, but NC State has pieces to work with. They'll find their next coach.
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