RALEIGH — Well, everything for NC State men’s basketball changed seismically overnight. As of Monday night and even Tuesday morning, Will Wade was the head coach of the program and said all the right things about staying and leading the Wolfpack into a brighter future. Now, the winds have shifted greatly and Wade’s future with the program seems to be in doubt.
In its early days, Wade and NC State appeared to be the perfect marriage of personalities in many ways, as he offered the program some new life and juice it hadn’t felt in decades. However, there was always a risk with Wade, a coach not far removed from an exile from college basketball. Now, the LSU Tigers are on the prowl for their old leader, creating angst around the NC State campus. While nothing is final, reading the tea leaves is significantly more challenging than it was on Monday.
The latest on the situation
There was a sense of confidence amongst LSU fans over a potential return for Wade to Baton Rouge for weeks, even when he seemingly shut down the rumors at the ACC Tournament in Charlotte. Still, the Tiger community remained adamant that there was a chance Wade could leave Raleigh after just a year at the helm.
The latest reporting from a variety of sources, including Matt Moscona, indicated that Wade met with NC State officials about the potential offer from LSU and all of the rumors on Wednesday. That was the latest information to come out about Wade’s whereabouts and what he might be thinking at this time. If there’s one constant with Wade, it’s that he’s consistently unpredictable…