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Will Wade Was Refreshingly Honest Addressing His Coaching Future After McNeese's Win

Karl Rasmussen

McNeese State Cowboys head coach Will Wade
McNeese State Cowboys head coach Will Wade / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
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There's been plenty of speculation surrounding head coach Will Wade's future with at McNeese State, with multiple reports indicating the 42-year-old is set to take over as the coach of NC State after the Cowboys' NCAA tournament run.

Speaking with Jeff Goodman on The Field of 68 podcast, Wade was asked about the links to the Wolfpack, and he offered a surprisingly candid answer.

When asked about how he handled the rumors with his players leading up to the tourmanent, Wade made clear that he talked about it with the team.

"We were honest. I mean, shoot. Half the kids I recruited I told, 'Hey look, the goal is to go Power Five after this year, and some of you guys can go with me.' We all know what's up," said Wade. "For our guys, this was great for them. They're gonna have a lot of schools in their DMs tonight, too, looking to pick them up."

"Coaches get an opportunity, when you win, to move. And players, when you get an opportunity, you play well, they get a chance to move. It's the free markets at work. That's America," he added.

It's not too often you'll see a coach speak so freely about rumors linking them to another job, even with the players on their own team, but Wade wasn't shying away from the reality of his situation at McNeese amid the speculation that he's got a deal in place with the Wolfpack.

After all, this year's Cowboys team accomplished its ultimate goal and made program history by winning the school's first-ever NCAA tournament game. After two successful years at McNeese State, Wade didn't try to dismiss the reports that a move to NC State is looming.

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Karl Rasmussen
KARL RASMUSSEN

Karl Rasmussen is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News team for Sports Illustrated. A University of Oregon alum who joined SI in February 2023, his work has appeared on 12up and ClutchPoints. Rasmussen is a loyal Tottenham, Jets, Yankees and Ducks fan.

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