McNeese coach Wade will be next NC State coach

McNeese coach Wade will be next NC State coach

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — McNeese State coach Will Wade knows his name is in the mix during the college basketball coaching carousel.

And unlike some coaches during this time of year, he’s not being coy talking about it.

Asked Wednesday if he or his agent had been in contact with N.C. State about its opening, the second-year McNeese State coach addressed the rumor mill directly.

“Yes,” Wade said during 12th-seeded McNeese State’s news conference in advance of its NCAA Tournament Midwest Region first-round matchup with fifth-seeded Clemson.

N.C. State fired coach Kevin Keatts on March 9, an abrupt end to an eight-year tenure that saw the program’s fall this year prove too much to overcome even when framed against last season’s remarkable finish. The announcement came a day after the Wolfpack closed a 12-19 season and failed to even qualify for the ACC Tournament as the reigning champion.