It’s been an interesting few days in the Triangle. First, UNC made a huge break with tradition and fired Hubert Davis, a member of Dean Smith’s family system, and Will Wade bailed on NC State after just a year on the job.
Let’s start with State, where fans are livid. Well, with all due respect: what did they think they were getting with Wade?
State fans and boosters pushed hard for Wade last spring, and they got him.
Him and all his baggage.
For all the excitement State fans had about getting Wade last
year, they knew they were getting a con man. A charismatic con man to be sure, but a con man nonetheless. And the reason why con men can do their work so well is because their marks want to be conned.
And State fans certainly wanted to be conned. They bought it all: the swagger, the confidence, the notion that this time, Wade would be different. He had learned and grown. He had suffered during his exile at McNeese. He was grateful to be at NC State, and he would change things for the Pack. State would take it right to Duke and, most of all, UNC.
His players even brought a belt to the post-game press conference after beating UNC (a reference to Tar Heel freshman Caleb Wilson saying that UNC would “bring the belt” to games with ACC rivals).
State would go 1-6 after that. Even then, people believed he meant what he said about State.
Including, apparently, his A.D., Boo Corrigan.
Corrigan was a fool to give in to the pressure to hire Wade, but he did. He asked Wade about the rumors, and Wade told him he was happy. Corrigan and Wade met on Tuesday, and on Thursday, he said that “[t]here was no reason for me in my job not to believe the words that I was hearing coming back to me from coach Wade. And I believe everyone here saw it, wrote about it.”
Like everyone else, he assumed that Wade was not a scoundrel and a liar, and for his trouble, he got an e-mail informing him that Wade was, in fact, resigning.
And it wasn’t even from Wade! It was from his agent.
So basically, State got what it signed up for. He was a scoundrel at Chattanooga, he was a scoundrel at VCU, and at LSU, we all learned just how big a scoundrel he is.
Now he’s been a scoundrel at State, and he’ll be a scoundrel again at LSU, where they’re building a holding pen of scoundrels and ne’er-do-wells: he’ll be working alongside noted ass hats Lane Kiffin and demented fashionista Kim Mulkey.
He’s where he belongs. State is well rid of him.
On the bright side, for all the talk of Wade as a winner, he doesn’t really win as much as you’d think.
Wade’s career record is 266–119 (.691), which is solid but not phenomenal, and he’s only made it as far as the Sweet 16 once in a 13-year career.
The question turns to what State does now. Justin Gainey is an obvious candidate. The former State point guard is a highly-regarded assistant who is currently at Tennessee. Reportedly, Archie Miller, another former State guard currently at Rhode Island, was in Raleigh today.
The ACC has traditionally excelled at identifying rising stars in coaching. Just consider the history: Vic Bubas and Dean Smith were assistants. Jim Valvano was at Iona, Bobby Cremins was at Appalachian State, and Mike Krzyzewski was at Army. Lefty Driesell was at Davidson, as was Terry Holland.
All of those guys did okay.
There are two guys in-state who should get consideration: Takayo Siddle at UNCW, who has a career-record of 133–54 (.711) with three 27-win seasons. He was a Kevin Keatts assistant, so he knows State well, and he has spent his life in North Carolina. He’s just 39.
Over at High Point, Flynn Clayman went 31-5 and very nearly made the Sweet 16 and is a tender 37.
We don’t know who else Corrigan is looking at, but whoever it is, you’d hope they stick around a bit longer.
Meanwhile, in Chapel Hill, Billy Donovan has said no, T. J. Otzelberger is apparently staying put at Iowa State, and Arizona is trying to sign Tommy Lloyd to an extension. That’s happening with Mark Byington at Vanderbilt as well.
There are at least rumors that Iowa’s Ben McCollum has emerged as a target. He’s been immensely successful in D-II, had a tremendous season at Drake last year, and now has Iowa in the Elite Eight.
He’s a native of Iowa City though, and it might be tough to get him out of there. Plus, Iowa boosters will line up to shower him with money to stay.
And for his part, Nate Oats, at least publicly, has said that he is happy at Alabama as long as they have the resources to pursue a national championship.
There will be plenty of people who are interested in this job, but the athletic department, by some reports, is dysfunctional and is transitioning from current A.D. Bubba Cunningham to his successor, Steve Newmark.
Newmark, who is a native of Chapel Hill with deep ties to everything people there love, may turn out to be an inspired hire. Time will tell.
Finally, Boston College found their guy: Luke Murray. A Danny Hurley assistant at UConn, Murray is well-regarded for his work with the Husky offense.
It’s also notable that, while people still mention that his father is iconic actor Bill Murray, Luke has successfully carved out his own identity.
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