Will Wade coaches a bunch of nice guys at NC State, which is great, except the head coach seems to think nice guys finish last.
The 8-4 NC State Wolfpack men’s basketball team was fresh off a 108-72 win over Texas Southern Wednesday night, behind 47 points and a record 11 threes from sophomore guard Paul McNeil. But the blowout win wasn’t enough to save the team of nice guys from getting scolded by Wade in his press conference.
“It’s tough. We got a lot of nice guys, got a great team GPA, over 3.0, all of that stuff. It’s wonderful, if we were running a daycare,” Wade ranted. “We’re running a competitive, Division-I basketball program. I am into academics, I was a teacher… But we’re running a competitive basketball program. And quite frankly, I’ve been trying to get some urgency and some internal leadership…we got a lot of casual personalities on our team. We don’t have people that are revved up and ready to go.”
Wade likes having nice guys, as long as they can be balanced with toughness. And despite having players who think they’re tough, Wade says they don’t crack the top-50 of tough guys he’s coached.
“S***, it’s concerning it’s taking this long and we’re not there,” Wade continued. “We’ve got all high-major games from here on out. Kindergarten is over… Yeah, it’s concerning!
The Will Wade era in NC State has already featured a range of emotions. When he took the job last March, the head coach promised a “reckoning” was coming for the ACC and college basketball, vowing to have the team at the top of their conference and in the NCAA Tournament this season. Following a recent loss to Kansas, Wade preached patience. But after a 36-point win over Texas Southern, Wade’s patience already seems to be wearing thin.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com