Will Wade is ahead of the times, and he always has been. The former LSU head coach was paying players before it was legal, and now that he’s rebuilt his reputation and career at McNeese, he’s paving a new path for mid-major coaches looking to jump to the Power Conference level.
As McNeese prepared Wade was upfront with his players and the media about the Power Conference teams he was talking to and ultimately, he agreed to become the next head coach of NC State just days before his team began its March Madness run against his alma mater, Clemson. Then, amidst all the distractions, he beat them, taking down the fifth-seeded Tigers 69-67 on Thursday afternoon in Providence, Rhode Island, and gifting his soon-to-be-former program its first-ever NCAA Tournament win.
In the past, there would be concerns about the effort level of teams that knew their head coach was leaving for greener pastures, and rightfully so, but the transfer portal has changed everything. Now, players aren’t letting a historic season slip away only to be abandoned in a mid-major wasteland, they’re auditioning to come with their head coach to his next destination.
Sure, it’s not the type of motivation that old-school, pearl-clutching fans who still extoll the virtues of amateurism believe in, but in modern college sports, a path to a Power Conference program and the NIL payday that will likely come with it is all the motivation that players need.
With the transfer portal, first-year head coaches can overhaul their new programs in the blink of an eye, as Pat Kelsey proved at Louisville going from eight wins to an eight-seed, and Dusty May did reviving the Michigan Wolverines and winning the Big Ten Tournament. Once Wade’s Cinderella run comes to an end this March (or maybe even in April), the portal is the first place he’ll turn to rebuild the Wolfpack as he heads to Raleigh, and as Kelsey did with Reyne Smith or May did with star center Vladislav Goldin, he may look to bring a few players with him. It wouldn’t be the first time.
Heading into Wade’s second season at McNeese, he reunited with one of his former players from LSU. Brandon Murray spent his freshman season with Wade in Baton Rouge before his head coach parted ways with the program and he bounced around from Georgetown to Ole Miss. Then last offseason, Murray found his way to McNeese, and in the biggest game in program history, he delivered with a season-high 21 points off the bench.
After spending four seasons at four different programs, Murray likely won’t have eligibility for another season with Wade and another jersey, but other Cowboys will. While Murray was the star, 6-foot-6 junior guard Quadir Copeland did it all for McNeese against Clemson, finishing with 16 points, five assists, and seven rebounds. The Philadelphia native began his career in the ACC with two seasons at Syracuse and could be interested in heading back to the Power Conference level.
Sincere Parker chipped in with 12 points off the bench, right at his season average. The junior guard was another portal addition for Wade last offseason, who has another game to make his case for a spot on the NC State roster next season.
Wade won’t just take his entire McNeese roster to Raleigh. He has too many veterans who are playing out their final year of eligibility, but players like Copeland and Parker proved that they belong in the ACC with a win over Clemson, the second-highest-seeded team from the conference.