The ghost of former NC State men’s basketball coach Kevin Keatts still lingers in the Lenovo Center, his Final Four and ACC championship banners serving as constant reminders to Will Wade.
Wade is on his way from McNeese State, where he led the team to a 50-9 record and back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances over two years. Before his time at McNeese State, Wade helped lead LSU to an SEC regular-season conference championship in only his second year after inheriting a team that went 10-21 the year prior.
Will Wade has consistently helped turn around basketball programs, and he has done it quickly. Now that he has found a new home, he looks to continue this legacy by reshaping the Wolfpack basketball program.
“I want to be very clear. This is not a rebuild,” Wade said. “We’re going to be in the top part of the ACC next year, and we’re going to the NCAA tournament.”
It is clear that Wade only has one goal in mind for this program: to make the Pack contenders, not only in the ACC, but also on the national level. In a city like Raleigh, expectations are high, and fulfilling those words will be no easy task.
With the Pack, it is a do-or-die situation. Former Wolfpack head coach Mark Gottfried learned this, as he helped lead his team to two Sweet 16 appearances, along with two second-round appearances in his first four years with the team. But after Gottfried’s quick success, two rocky seasons were all it took for the basketball team to look for a new head coach.
This was similarly repeated with Keatts. Just one year removed from his Final Four appearance and an ACC tournament championship, he was informed that his services would no longer be required after the Pack struggled the next season, finishing 12-19.
The same ambition we are excited about with Wade was also expressed by Keatts. Keatts displayed some swagger when he first arrived in Raleigh to let Pack fans know he was here to stay.
“I want you guys to understand this about your new coach: Kevin Keatts is a winner,” Keatts said.
Keatts also wanted to lead NC State back to the promised land and help it get over the hump, which he was able to do by becoming only the fourth coach in NC State history to make a Final Four appearance.
“When you talk about two national championships, three Final Fours, 14 Sweet Sixteens, 17 conference championships, why not NC State?,” Keatts said in his introductory press conference. “That’s what NC State basketball is. That’s what I want to bring back to NC State basketball.”
Now, as the Wolfpack looks to turn to Wade, it poses the question: Will he be able to replicate the same heights and success Keatts was able to, or will a rocky road down the line leave Wade searching for a new team, forgotten in Wolfpack history?
