During the first round of the NCAA Tournament, McNeese State pulled off their first victory in program history in the Big Dance, knocking off 5-seed Clemson as one of the most notable upsets of the week. Will Wade’s second season in Lake Charles was even more fantastic than the first, building and leading that program to its highest heights.
Shortly after their defeat in the second round this weekend, it was confirmed that Wade was off to NC State to become the next head coach of the Wolfpack. The move was not a surprise and had been discussed in recent days, but it still left McNeese with a major opening.
Prior to Wade’s arrival, the Cowboys had made just two appearances in the NCAA Tournament. You had to go back to 2011 to find a season where McNeese even finished above .500 on the season. This program has been in the Southland Conference for more than half a century but it wasn’t until right now under Wade’s leadership that they were dominating, with a 58-11 combined record these last two seasons.
Here's a list of potential candidates for the McNeese State opening, source told @TheFieldOf68:
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 24, 2025
Bill Armstrong (Baylor), former West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins, James Miller (Okl St.), Matt Woodley (Wake), former Tennessee head coach Donnie Tyndall, Chase Buford (KU) and…
Athletic director Heath Schroyer won just 34 games combined in his three seasons as head coach and his successor John Aiken wasn’t doing great stuff either before Wade arrived. It’s very possible that McNeese returns to irrelevancy if they don’t hire another great head coach, and some interesting names are already being suggested for this job.
Schroyer has coached and worked all over in this sport, but one name connected to this position is Bob Huggins, the embattled former West Virginia coach who was dismissed in 2023, technically retiring or resigning right before the season began. Now 71 years old, is Huggins a legitimate candidate for this job at McNeese?
With more than four decades of head coaching experience, Huggins would certainly be another prominent hire that could produce a winning culture at McNeese, though you have to wonder about the culture in general. Huggins was dismissed from both Cincinnati and West Virginia during his career, and it’s hard to imagine him bouncing back to another coaching job after things ended poorly with his alma mater less than two years ago.
Hiring Huggins would probably have a similar effect in some ways to bringing Wade to town. Huggins would be one of the nation’s oldest head coaches and wouldn’t be in McNeese very long, and the program would be banking on him building strong rosters and continuing that winning culture before his own retirement.
It’s an opportunity for Huggins to write the final chapter of his own coaching career after his days at West Virginia ended, and not the way he certainly wanted. He has no experience coaching down in Louisiana, but does that really matter in this day and age of college ball? If NIL support is right and Huggins truly still has sway then McNeese could absolutely build a roster that can win another Southland title.
Would this be worth it? The program that just gave a second chance to the man caught on a FBI wiretap is reaping the benefits with this national attention. If Huggins can win and avoid drama, it’s worth it to consider him, even if better options may be out there. Rick Pitino has shown at St. John’s that hiring an old coach isn’t a bad move, but we’re talking about a mid-major program in the Southland. This search could go in any direction, but maybe McNeese would be wise to avoid another scandal-ridden leader.