RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Will Wade stood on stage, hearing the applause from Wolfpack supporters enthralled with his vision of turning a tradition-rich men’s basketball program back into a consistent Atlantic Coast Conference winner.
The appreciation was mutual. Three years had passed since Wade's firing at LSU over allegations of money-fueled recruiting violations, which came amid a federal corruption investigation into the sport that had coincidentally entangled N.C. State among multiple programs nationally.
Now, he's back in a power-conference job, this time in a very different college landscape.
“I’d be lying if I told you I thought three years ago that I knew an opportunity like this would come again,” Wade said during his introductory news conference Tuesday.