Clemson alum Will Wade says he'll be 'all McNeese' when ball goes up for NCAA opener against Tigers

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It will be old home week for McNeese State coach Will Wade.

The 12th-seeded Cowboys open the NCAA Tournament in Providence, Rhode Island, on Thursday against No. 5 Clemson, Wade's alma mater and the place where he began his coaching career as a graduate assistant under Oliver Purnell.

“First time I hear that fight song, I'll twirl my arms on the ‘O-N,’ ” Wade joked Sunday night, referring to the tradition of Clemson fans spelling out the school's name at the end of “Tiger Rag.”

“I follow the football program very closely. We don't practice when they play football. But I've been gone a long time. It’s a great place, great people, I know a lot of folks there. I'm sure my phone will have beautiful messages when I check them. When that ball goes up, I'm all McNeese.”

The 42-year-old Wade's path has been anything but smooth.

He was out of the college game for a year following his 2022 firing from LSU for alleged recruiting violations. He consulted for the scouting departments of some NBA teams before McNeese State hired him following its 11th straight losing season.

The Cowboys' rapid transformation has Wade back as one of the hottest coaches in the nation, and his name has been connected to the opening at North Carolina State.

No wonder.

He's 57-10 in two years at McNeese State and, not including his one-year hiatus, he'll make his seventh straight tournament appearance — with three different schools.

This one has special meaning. He was a student manager at Clemson from 2002-05, a graduate assistant in 2005-06 and director of basketball operations in 2006-07.

His first head coaching job was at Chattanooga from 2013-15. Next stop was VCU, where he had two tournament appearances in two seasons. From there it was on to LSU, where he led three of his five teams to the tournament but didn't coach in the last one because he was fired six days before it started.

McNeese State went 30-4 last season and lost 86-65 to Gonzaga as a 12-seed. The Cowboys are 0-3 all-time in the tournament. With the game against Clemson being a 5-12 matchup, there will be plenty of fans predicting an upset.

“If we won, it would be just incredible," Wade said. "I don't think it's a massive step we have to take. Keep getting there, keep getting favorable matchups and keep giving yourself an opportunity and hopefully you crack it down. Hopefully it's this year. If not, let's keep getting there and eventually it will happen.”

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness