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Will Wade

Frank Williams Wade is an American college basketball coach who is currently in his second stint as the head men's basketball coach at LSU, a position he held from 2017 to 2022. He previously served as head coach at Chattanooga, VCU, McNeese, and NC State.

Assistant coach (2007-2013)
Will Wade began his career as the student manager of the Clemson men's basketball team from 2002 to 2005. He worked under head coaches Larry Shyatt and Oliver Purnell, who gave him further opportunities as a graduate assistant (2005–06) and Director of Basketball Operations (2006–07). Tommy Amaker then brought him in as his first hire as Harvard men's basketball coach where he was responsible for helping to recruit a top 25 class for the program. He stayed at Harvard for the 2007–08 and 2008–09 seasons before leaving for Virginia Commonwealth University. Will Wade was brought in as an assistant to then-head coach Shaka Smart at VCU (Wade was Smart's first hire like he had been Amaker's). He helped VCU to four consecutive postseason appearances, including a trip to the 2011 Final Four. VCU finished the 2012–13 season with a 27–9 overall mark and a No. 23 final national ranking. In Wade's four years as an assistant coach, VCU was 111–37 (.750) with three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament. ==Head coaching career (2013-present) ==
Head coaching career (2013-present)
Chattanooga 2013-2015 In 2013, Wade left his assistant coaching position at VCU to lead the Chattanooga Mocs basketball program. In his two seasons as head coach, he posted both winning overall and conference records, and led the Mocs to their first 20+-win season in 10 years. He was named the Southern Conference's 2014 Coach of the Year. In his first season returning to VCU, Wade guided the team to its first Atlantic 10 Conference regular-season championship and to a 25–11 overall record. VCU made the championship game of the A10 conference tournament for the fourth straight season, falling to St. Joseph's. The Rams also made their sixth straight NCAA tournament, one of only eight teams in the country to do so. VCU made it to the round of 32, where it fell to Oklahoma 85–81. Wade finished second in voting for A10 coach of the year. LSU (first stint) 2017-2022 On March 21, 2017, Wade accepted an offer to become the head coach at Louisiana State University. On December 28, 2017, Wade earned his 100th career victory with a win over Memphis. During the 2018–19 season, Wade's Tigers won their first five SEC games in a row. It was the first LSU team to do this since the 2005–06 team. They also claimed two victories over top 5 opponents (Kentucky and Tennessee), the first LSU team to do so since 1980. Wade coached the 2018–19 team to the Southeastern Conference regular season championship. On March 7, 2019, it was reported that Wade discussed an offer to a recruit, which was overheard on a Federal Bureau of Investigation wiretap. Wade described the payment as a "strong-ass offer", and in the transcripts he is quoted as saying that he was frustrated with the situation: “I’ll be honest with you, I’m fucking tired of dealing with the thing. Like I’m just fucking sick of dealing with the shit. Like, this should not be that fucking complicated.” Tony Benford was named interim head coach at LSU during Wade's suspension. On April 14, 2019, LSU lifted Wade's suspension. It was also reported on April 24, 2019, that Wade agreed to significant modifications to his contract, in order to be reinstated. Some of those changes include: 1) to forfeit $250,000.00 in bonuses he would have otherwise earned during the time of his suspension, 2) the contract also allowed LSU to fire Wade for cause if he committed a Level I or Level II NCAA violation, and 3) he could also be terminated if the NCAA infractions committee issued a formal notice to LSU that Wade was involved in a Level I or Level II violation. On August 25, 2020, reports surfaced that the investigation into the numerous alleged recruiting violations by Wade was ongoing and headed to an independent panel. Two separate NCAA committees referred LSU's case to the IARP (Independent Accountability Resolution Process, a system formed in response to a Condoleezza Rice-led commission on college basketball). Had this panel issued a formal notice of allegations, it would have ended the tenure of Wade based on the renegotiated contract of 2019. He was terminated as coach on March 12, 2022, after the NCAA formally served a notice of allegations based on the investigations into reports of recruiting violations. McNeese 2023-2025 Wade was hired to coach at McNeese State University on March 12, 2023, replacing John Aiken. On June 22, Wade was suspended for the first 10 games of the 2023–24 season and was given a two-year show-cause penalty for his recruiting and bribery violations at LSU. On March 20, 2025, Wade led McNeese to its first ever NCAA tournament win, beating Clemson 69–67 in the Round of 64. The Cowboys went on to lose to 4-seed Purdue 62–76 in the Round of 32. NC State 2025 On March 22, 2025, Wade signed a six-year contract to be the next head coach at NC State, replacing Kevin Keatts. On March 26, 2026, he submitted his resignation through an email from his agent after NC State was eliminated in the First Four of the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. LSU (second stint) 2026-present On March 26, 2026, Wade agreed to return to LSU as their head coach, replacing Matt McMahon. ==Head coaching record==
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