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Will Wade was introduced as the LSU basketball coach on Monday. He is now set to lead the program for a second time. His first press conference was eerily similar to one heard a year earlier.
The coach’s message produced deja vu for a number of NC State listeners. A Freudian slip showed it might’ve taken Wade back in time, too.
His opening message in Baton Rouge was a copycat of one previously preached in Raleigh almost a year to the day.
Here’s what was said on March 25, 2025:
Will Wade left NC State for LSU.
Fast forward to March of 2026 and much has changed. After speaking on commitment and loyalty, Wade burned a bridge to return to Louisiana.
The former NC State coach shrugged off potential interest in the LSU opening when asked during the NCAA Tournament. Speculation, however, picked up after the season ended.
LSU fired Matt McMahon last week. It opened the door for Wade’s arrival. He chased the money to return “home.”
While a timeline shows he may not have technically lied to NC State about his intentions, the optics were poor. Fans felt spurned. Administrators were blindsided. Most felt confident that he’d be back for Year 2.
“I know the number of times we had conversations about the job, including one time of, ‘Do we need to talk about this?’ The answer was no.”
-NC State AD Boo Corrigan
Wade hightailed it out of North Carolina amid a barrage of insults as he boarded a plane for Baton Rouge. His welcome at LSU was much different.
His official introduction, however, was not.
Wade copied his own speech.
It shouldn’t be a surprise that many of the talking points were the same. His approach to game planning and the recruiting process won’t change despite the shift in location.
He could’ve been a bit more creative, though, especially given the short timespan between the press conferences.
Will Wade’s speech at his introductory press conference at LSU is hilariously verbatim from his introductory press conference at NC State.
All we need now is him claiming the #PurplePurge is coming to Baton Rouge.
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) March 30, 2026
Similarities started right off the rip. In both instances, he opened by speaking on being humbled.
At NCSU:
“You’re going to get that same passion and competitive fire that I had at LSU, without all the arrogance that got me in trouble. I’ve grown and matured since then, and you’re going to get the best version of me.”
At LSU:
“You’re not getting the same coach… You’re getting a better coach, and a better leader this time around, but I’ve got the same urgency and the same feistiness.”
He then continued on to speak on having immediate success, almost word for word.
NCSU:
“Our time is right now!… This is not something that’s going to take a whole lot of time.”
LSU:
“Our time is right now with LSU basketball… This is not something that’s going to take long.”
The speeches, in general, mirrored one another. Does it mean much? No.
At this point, it’s word salad. Will Wade is simply trying to sell (or resell) his vision to the fanbase.
With that said, it seems he momentarily forgot which fanbase he was delivering that message to when addressing the crowd at LSU.
Will Wade says his team’s gonna represent the “Wolf…” or Louisiana the way it should be represented. 😅😅 pic.twitter.com/w8IL3frWj3
— Cory Smith (@RCorySmith) March 30, 2026
Was NC State on the brain? Is there regret with how the situation was handled? He claims to have no remorse for the way he left Raleigh.
“I think some of the things have been mischaracterized on how I left, but I’m not gonna get into a back-and-forth,” he said during the presser.
“The people who need to know, know. When there’s a situation like this, everybody has to cover, let’s put it that way. I’m at peace with how I left… Look, they’re pretty mad for a coach they didn’t think was very good.”
Will Wade says NC State is in the past. His attention has turned to LSU. It didn’t stop his former supporters from having fun with the slip-up.
Unfortunately, the jabs won’t change the fact that the Wolfpack will reset in 2026. Wade promises not to raid his old roster, but it’s reasonable to believe players will leave after the coaching change.
Justin Gainey will reportedly take over as his replacement. That news broke as Wade was introduced at his new school.
Gainey is a former NC State player that led the program to four straight NCAA Tournaments. He has no head coaching experience but is a respected coach that’s been on previous staffs at Arizona, Marquette, and Tennessee.
New eras can now officially begin in Raleigh and Baton Rouge following an offseason of drama.