Will Wade
Will Wade coaching VCU | |
Biographical details | |
---|---|
Born | Nashville, Tennessee | November 26, 1982
Alma mater | Clemson |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
2005–2007 | Clemson (GA) |
2007–2009 | Harvard (assistant) |
2009–2013 | VCU (assistant) |
2013–2015 | Chattanooga |
2015–2017 | VCU |
2017–2022 | LSU |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 196–96 (.671) |
Tournaments | 2–3 (NCAA Division I) 1–1 (NIT) 0–1 (CIT 10 Atlantic 10 regular season (2016) SEC regular season (2019) |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Awards | |
SoCon Coach of the Year (2014) | |
Records | |
So Con Coach of the year (2014) | |
Frank Williams Wade (born November 26, 1982) is an American college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at three institutions: Chattanooga from 2013 to 2015, VCU from 2015 to 2017, and LSU from 2017 until his firing in 2022.
Assistant coach
Will Wade began his career as the student manager of the Clemson men's basketball team from 2002 to 2005. He worked under 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 VCU.
Will Wade was brought in as an assistant to then-head coach Shaka Smart at VCU (he 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. The VCU Rams were one of only five teams nationally to win 27 or more games in each season from 2009 to 2013 (the others being Duke, Kansas, Syracuse and Ohio State). 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
Chattanooga
In 2013, Wade left his assistant coaching position at VCU to lead the Chattanooga Mocs basketball program.[1] In his two seasons as head coach, he posted both winning overall and conference records, and gave the Mocs their first 20+ win season in 10 years. He was named the Southern Conference's 2014 Coach of the Year.[1]
VCU
After two seasons at Chattanooga, Wade returned to VCU to take the head coaching position vacated by Shaka Smart.[2] 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 it to 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
On March 21, 2017, Wade accepted an offer to become the head coach at Louisiana State University.[3] 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.[4] The offer he made was reportedly a large one. In the transcripts he is quoted as saying that he was frustrated with the situation: “I’ll be honest with you, I’m F[expletive] tired of dealing with the thing. Like I’m just F[expletive] sick of dealing with this S[expletive]. Like, this should not be that F[expletive] complicated.”[4] The following day, LSU announced that he was indefinitely suspended amid the FBI's probe.[5][6] Tony Benford was named interim head coach at LSU during Wade's suspension.[7] On April 14, 2019, LSU lifted Wade's suspension.[8]
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 now allows LSU to fire Wade for cause if he commits a Level I or Level II NCAA violation, and 3) He can also be terminated if the NCAA infractions committee issues a formal notice to LSU that Wade was involved in a Level 1 or Level 2 violation.[9]
On August 25, 2020, reports surfaced that the investigation into the numerous, alleged, recruiting violations by Wade is ongoing, and headed to an independent panel. Two separate NCAA committees have 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.) Should this panel issue a formal 'notice of allegations' to LSU as a result of this investigation, that would put an end to the 3 year, highly controversial, tenure of Wade, based on the renegotiated contract of 2019.[10]
Wade led his 2021 Tigers to the championship game of the SEC Tournament in Nashville against Alabama, and an 8-seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
Following a loss to Arkansas in the SEC Tournament, Wade was fired on March 12, 2022 after the NCAA formally gave Notice of Allegations based on the conclusion of investigation into the above reports of recruiting violations.[11]
Head coaching record
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chattanooga Mocs (Southern Conference) (2013–2015) | |||||||||
2013–14 | Chattanooga | 18–15 | 12–4 | 2nd | CIT First Round | ||||
2014–15 | Chattanooga | 22–10 | 15–3 | 2nd | |||||
Chattanooga: | 40–25 (.615) | 27–7 (.794) | |||||||
VCU Rams (Atlantic 10 Conference) (2015–2017) | |||||||||
2015–16 | VCU | 25–11 | 14–4 | T–1st | NCAA Division I Second Round | ||||
2016–17 | VCU | 26–9 | 14–4 | 2nd | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
VCU: | 51–20 (.718) | 28–8 (.778) | |||||||
LSU Tigers (Southeastern Conference) (2017–2022) | |||||||||
2017–18 | LSU | 18–15 | 8–10 | T–9th | NIT Second Round | ||||
2018–19 | LSU | 25–5* | 15–2* | 1st | NCAA Division I Sweet Sixteen* | ||||
2019–20 | LSU | 21–10 | 12–6 | T–2nd | All postseason cancelled | ||||
2020–21 | LSU | 19–10 | 11–6 | 3rd | NCAA Division I Round of 32 | ||||
2021–22 | LSU | 22–11 | 9–9 | T–5th | |||||
LSU: | 105–51 (.673) | 55–33 (.625) | |||||||
Total: | 196–96 (.671) | ||||||||
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
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*Wade was suspended the final five games of the 2018–19 season. Tony Benford coached the team and was credited with the wins and losses.
References
- ^ a b "Will Wade named UTC Men's basketball coach". wrcbtv.com. May 13, 2013. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
- ^ "Will Wade hired as new VCU coach, replacing Shaka Smart". Richmond Times-Dispatch. April 7, 2015. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
- ^ "VCU's Will Wade hired as next coach at LSU". espn.com. March 20, 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
- ^ a b "Exclusive: Wiretap reveals LSU coach Will Wade discussed recruiting 'offer' with hoops scandal middleman". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
- ^ "LSU suspends Wade indefinitely amid FBI probe". ESPN.com. March 8, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
- ^ "LSU responds to Will Wade's request to be reinstated: Until he talks, he'll remain suspended". theadvocate.com. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- ^ "LSU basketball coach Will Wade suspended 'indefinitely' in wake of wiretap revelations". theadvocate.com. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
- ^ "LSU reinstates head coach Will Wade after meeting with school and NCAA officials". CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
- ^ "LSU coach Will Wade gave up bonuses, made contract concessions amid reinstatement". theadvocate.com. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
- ^ "Investigation into LSU's Will Wade bribery allegations likely headed to independent panel: NCAA".
- ^ https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/lsu-parts-ways-with-coach-will-wade-following-ncaa-recruiting-violations-uncovered-in-fbi-probe-per-reports
- 1982 births
- Living people
- American men's basketball coaches
- Basketball coaches from Tennessee
- Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball coaches
- Clemson Tigers men's basketball coaches
- Clemson University alumni
- College men's basketball head coaches in the United States
- College basketball controversies in the United States
- Harvard Crimson men's basketball coaches
- LSU Tigers basketball coaches
- Sportspeople from Nashville, Tennessee
- VCU Rams men's basketball coaches