Will Wade couldn't hide his emotions as his time at McNeese comes to an end

Will Wade is nothing if not an honest guy. He made clear even before his McNeese Cowboys began their run at the 2025 men's NCAA Tournament that NC State, among other schools, had been trying to poach him away, and that he would almost certainly be gone the moment the season ended.

But if you think that means that Wade or his team had checked out, think again. First the Cowboys gave Wade one heck of a showcase for his new gig, upsetting No. 12 seed Clemson in the first round on Thursday. And while their potential Cinderella story was cut short in a disappointing loss to No. 4 seed Purdue on Saturday afternoon, a lack of investment from (and in) their head coach was hardly to blame.

Wade was animated throughout Saturday's game, at one point even getting T'd up in frustration as his team simply couldn't find a way to get anything going against the Boilermakers. And when the clock ran out on a 76-62 loss, Wade made clear just how much this season and this team meant to him, even if he's choosing to say goodbye.

Emotional Will Wade says farewell to McNeese after Cinderella NCAA Tournament run comes to an end

Wade began to tear up before he even left the court, as the reality of his departure from McNeese finally set in. "Hopefully we did right by the people who gave us a second chance," he said after the game, referring to his departure from LSU back in 2022 amid a recruiting scandal that rocked the sport.

His presser naturally turned toward his reported new contract with the Wolfpack, but while Wade has never shied away from his flirtation with other jobs — a rarity among his profession — he refused to make his last moments as Cowboys head coach about his own career.

"I'll worry about that tomorrow," Wade said. "Today I want to put a bow on everything at McNeese if we can ... This is about our players. Whatever happens, our program at McNeese is in great shape. We have tremendous leadership, we have a plan to keep this program rolling, whoever's at the helm."

Obviously the way that Wade has handled this coaching search is a bit unorthodox. But it's clear that his players and his program didn't feel betrayed or done wrong, and that he was as open as possible about where things stood at all times. In the end, he gave McNeese two very competitive years and an NCAA Tournament win, and he deserves to spend one final day with the team that brought him back to the Power 5 level.