Mike Woodson will step down as IU basketball coach after the 2024-25 season. Athletic director Scott Dolson is currently searching for the program’s 31st head coach.
Inside the Hall will examine many of the candidates being discussed for the job over the coming days and weeks. Our 11th profile takes a look at McNeese State coach Will Wade.
Previously: Dusty May, Scott Drew, Mick Cronin, Greg McDermott, Buzz Williams, T.J. Otzelberger, Ben McCollum, Tommy Lloyd, Brad Brownell, Chris Beard
McNeese State’s Will Wade may be the biggest wild card of potential head coaching candidates this cycle.
From a purely winning perspective, Wade has succeeded at all four stops during his young career. The 42-year-old boasts a 241-104 overall record between his time at Chattanooga, VCU, LSU and McNeese.
He’s appeared in six NCAA tournaments in 10 seasons of coaching. Wade was likely on his way to a high-profile job before being fired from LSU in March of 2022 — just before the NCAA tournament — due to a series of recruiting violations. He was temporarily suspended in 2019 once reports surfaced of him engaging in conversations to pay recruits illegally.
Additional allegations date back to 2017, Wade’s first season in Baton Rouge. ESPN reported in August 2020 that Wade had been involved in “impermissible payments” to upwards of 11 recruits, including their family members and closely associated individuals. Wade remained at LSU as an investigation continued, but the school quickly took action after receiving a Notice of Allegations on March 8, 2022.
In addition to the recruiting violations, Wade was accused of failing to cooperate with the NCAA’s investigation. He was fired four days later, less than a week before the Tigers squared off against Iowa State in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Wade took the McNeese job exactly one year after he was fired, but the NCAA penalized him multiple times prior to his first season. In addition to a 10-game suspension, Wade was given a two-year show-cause penalty that limited recruiting visits and related activities.
Still, Wade guided the Cowboys to their first NCAA tournament in 22 years last season. McNeese went 22-2, winning both the Southland Conference regular season and tournament titles. Wade was named the Southland Conference coach of the year.
A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Wade was a student manager at Clemson. He then served as a graduate assistant and Director of Basketball Operations for two seasons before accepting a job at Harvard in a recruiting role.
After two years, Wade moved to VCU in 2009 to serve as an assistant under Shaka Smart. During Wade’s four years, the Rams made the NCAA tournament three consecutive seasons, including a Final Four appearance in 2011.
In 2013, Wade took his first head coaching job at Chattanooga. He finished second in the Southern Conference twice and was named the 2014 SoCon coach of the year. Wade quickly rose through the ranks and returned to VCU as head coach once Smart left for Texas in 2015.
The Rams finished tied for first in the Atlantic 10 during Wade’s first season, advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament. They placed second in the conference the following season and were a first-round exit in March. But after compiling a 51-20 record and 28-8 mark in conference play in two years, Wade — then just 34 years old — became an attractive high-major candidate.
He was named LSU’s 22nd head coach in 2017 and the Tigers won the SEC regular-season title in just his second season. LSU advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2006 as a No. 3 seed, ultimately falling to Michigan State.
The Tigers finished second in the conference the following year, though postseasons were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Wade guided LSU to tournament appearances in both 2020-21 and 2021-22, but did not advance past the round of 32.
Now, Wade is likely on his way to coaching back into a major role. McNeese, 25-6 and 19-1 in the Southland Conference, locked up a second consecutive regular season title and appears primed for another NCAA tournament appearance. The Cowboys check in at No. 59 in KenPom, ranking 62nd in adjusted offensive efficiency and 67th in adjusted defensive efficiency.
It’s unlikely Indiana will have significant interest in Wade and he may need another year at McNeese before programs feel comfortable overlooking his violations at LSU. IU may be especially queasy about Wade’s past due to the similarities with Kelvin Sampson, who resigned in 2008 and received a show-cause penalty due to recruiting violations stemming from a series of impermissible phone calls.
Wade’s show-cause runs through June 21, 2025, and while he’s capable of turning programs around and coaching at a high level, Indiana will likely choose a safer candidate.
(Photo credit: McNeese State Athletics)
Category: Coaching search
Filed to: Will Wade
