Wade gets candid about his time at VCU: Says he ‘was too eager’ to leave, “anyone can win there”

Will Wade and NC State are set to face off against VCU on Monday in their first true test.

Wade is familiar with VCU, having coached there from 2015-17, taking them to two NCAA Tournaments after replacing the great Shaka Smart, who coached there for 6 years, including one trip to the Final Four as an 11th seed.

Here is what he said about VCU:

“You know, at the time, I love VCU. I loved my time there. I was too eager to leave like everybody else had left there. It’s a great program, great place. The athletic director is phenomenal. He had a hand in me getting this job. He’s good friends with Boo (Corrigan). And you know, it’s a great place, great fans. I’m having breakfast with some of their fans.

I mean, I still keep in touch with a lot of those folks. And so it’s an incredible basketball spot. You know, look, I was thrown into the fire to replace the best coach there of all time. Took them to the Final Four, and I was just trying not to screw it up. They gave me the keys to a Ferrari and said, ‘Drive fast. Don’t put this thing in the ditch. So I was just trying to keep that bad boy between the lines. And you know, went to the tournament both years and won a game. Beat Oregon State. Had Oklahoma on the ropes in Oklahoma City. They went to the Final Four that year. We had them on the ropes and got beat.

But great place, great fan support, tremendous program. I mean, you know, I was fortunate I got to coach there. Anybody can win there. They can hire any of y’all, you can win there. I mean, they got the support. It’s a big time, it’s a big time, big time spot. So they’ll be ready. They’ll bring a good crowd. They’ll have a bunch of folks that come down here. So one of their biggest supporters is actually a big NC State fan as well. But yeah, it’ll be fun. It’ll be a big challenge for us.

Like I said, it’s the first of our high majors. It’ll be a quad one or quad two game for us. And so, you know, it’s a big, big game as we start to try to build a resume that’s distinguishable from other folks.”

The Wolfpack will take on the 2-1 VCU Rams on the ACC Network at 7pm on Monday.