Will Wade offers praise, well-wishes to NC State fans: ‘I understand their frustration’
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Will Wade knew that NC State fans would be (rightfully) upset after the former LSU head coach left Raleigh to become, well, LSU’s head coach. It’s understandable: Wade had mentioned numerous times that he was in it for the long haul with the Wolfpack. But after returning to Baton Rouge, he rankled not only fans, but NC State head coach Boo Corrigan.
Wade doesn’t share the same feelings, though.
“Their fans are incredible,” Wade said on the “Tingle and Co.” podcast on Thursday. “They’ve got an incredible fanbase, they’ve got an incredible passion. They have an SEC-type fanbase; most of the ACC is not that … they deserve to win big in basketball. They care about basketball like LSU cares about football.”
It’s worth noting that the Tigers haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament since Wade was fired in 2022. After Matt McMahon was fired after four seasons, the program lured his predecessor from NC State, despite being accused of recruiting violations.
“I understand their frustration, and their hatred, and that sort of thing, but not everybody understands about fit,” Wade said. “This is just a great fit for me, but (I’ll) always root for NC State. They treated me really well, and I wish they have nothing but success, even though they wish ill will on us.”
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
