Before I explain why Will Wade is the man for the job, allow me to set the stage. On January 7th, 2016 Ole Miss opened it’s doors to the brand new, state of the art, $96.5-million Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss. The Pavilion is one of the best college arena’s in the country, and it deserves to be occupied by a competitive basketball program. Shortly after moving into the Pavilion, the Rebels decided to part ways with long time head coach, Andy Kennedy, who spent 12 seasons as the helm for the Rebels. A lot of people disagreed with the decision, as AK is a fantastic coach, extremely likable, and had so much success for a decade in, easily the biggest dump of an arena in the SEC, Tad Smith Coliseum. Was that the right decision? I’m not entirely sure, but I understand why the decision was made. There was a feeling that Coach Kennedy had done everything that he could do, and that our potential had been maxed out. We had a new stadium, and we felt it was time to bring in some fresh blood to the program. When you look at AK’s accomplishments throughout his tenure however, they are truly remarkable.
Ranks 18th in SEC history in wins (245).
Averaged more than 21 wins per season over 12 seasons. (Rebels had only won 21+ three times prior to his arrival).
Only coach in SEC history to post 11 consecutive winning seasons after inheriting a program coming off four straight losing seasons.
Finished with a .500 or better record against 10 SEC teams.
Won an SEC Championship (2013)
2 time SEC West division winner (2007, 2010)
2 time SEC Coach of the Year
Holds 33 school records
Sounds like a pretty damn good coach to let go, and especially for Ole Miss, who has been, frankly, historically irrelevant on the hardwood. To make the parting of ways look worse, after his successful stint in broadcasting, he has been hired at UAB where he has already broken single season school records and made the tournament in just his second year.
I set this stage not to show you what a mistake we made by firing Andy Kennedy, but to show that Ole Miss isn’t interested in being slightly above average anymore. We spent damn near $100 million on this brand new arena, and we want to compete on national stage year in and year out.
After the 2017-18 season, the man we decided to bring in was Coach Kermit Davis. Coach Davis is a great coach and an even better guy. He had a ton of success at Middle Tennessee St. for a long time and is the son of Mississippi State legend, Kermit Davis Sr. He did some good things at Ole Miss, recruited well, but in the end, we were heading in the wrong direction, and not even Kermit could justify the results in the win-loss column. I can’t overstate what a great guy Kermit Davis is, and I wish him nothing but the best. With that being said, it was time for a change.
Now, that leads us to the big question. Who does Athletic Director, Keith Carter, turn to next?? I think it is worth noting that Keith is a former Ole Miss basketball great and was a first team All-SEC selection in 1999. I think it is also worth noting that Kermit Davis was not Keith's hire. When facing his first big challenge as AD, hiring a football coach in 2019, Cater consistently mentioned he was looking for someone to GALVANIZE the fan base, and someone who, “Could walk into a room, and own that room”. That is how he landed on the man, the myth, the legend, Coach Lane Kiffin. He nailed that hire, and Lane Kiffin has done just that. He galvanized the fan base, has brought national attention to the program, and has successfully revived the way that people think about Ole Miss football. So how can Keith replicate that success with this hire? You’ve got the facilities, you have some nice building pieces on the roster now, you’re in the best conference in the country, and all you are lacking is that guy that can bring the energy and launch this program to where it deserves to be. Keiths first hire to the program he once played for is going to be a monumental decision, and the pressure to get this one right is extremely high.
They don’t pay me the big bucks to make these types of decisions, although they might one day, and I’m not going to claim to be any sort of basketball expert. Keith Carter has forgotten more about the game of basketball than I’ll ever know, but if I’m Keith Carter, Will Wade checks all the boxes. He would absolutely galvanize the fanbase, and he's won everywhere he's been.
Let’s take a look at Will Wades resume real quick:
In his first head coaching role at Chattanooga (2 seasons), Wade broke records, accomplished the schools first 20+ win season, and was named Southern Conference Coach of the year (2014).
Wade goes on to VCU for another two successful seasons, where he finished with 25 and 26 wins and two NCAA tournament appearances, as well as the A10 regular season champions (2016).
LSU, who was 10-21 following the 2016-17 season had been underachieving on the court for far too long, and when they came calling, Wade came running. He described the once prolific program as a sleeping giant. He made an immediate impact in recruiting, the product on the court, energy amongst the fans, and he quickly resurged the program back into the national spotlight. He brought in top tier talent and coached with a fire that excited fans and attracted recruits. Wade was an assassin, and he was absolutely beloved by the Tigers fanbase. While at LSU, Wade won the SEC regular season championship (2018-19), was named SEC coach of the year (2019), and made the NCAA tournament even year after his first despite all of the outside noise and investigation chaos that ensued after the 2019 season.
You won’t find an LSU fan who is happy about his departure, and they’ll be even sicker if he is indeed named the head coach at Ole Miss. Tiger fans know how great of a coach he is, and would hate to see him come into the SEC West.
Wade was extremely unfortunate to be caught in the crossfires of an FBI investigation totally separate from him. The FBI accidentally stumbled across a voice message left by Wade, where Wade mentions, “A strong ass offer”. This made a lot of noise, but was later never used in court because it was found too vague. If not for this, he would still be wreaking havoc at LSU. Ultimately however, the NCAA, which is a group of power hungry losers, still mad about getting picked last in kickball as a child, was hell bent on making an example out of Wade. When threatening a full on investigation into the entire athletic department, LSU AD, Scott Woodward, essentially sacrificed Wade. Wade was fired for cause, and the NCAA hasn’t looked their way since. One thing I know for certain is that Wade will be given another chance eventually, and he will succeed again. The only question is, will it be in Oxford or somewhere else?
Will Wade has recently started a podcast, where he has displayed that he is actively following the game, continuing to build relationships with upcoming prospects, and is ready to be inserted into an opportunity. Wade is a high energy, ultra competitive, born winner who is ready to work his tail off given another chance. He may rub some people the wrong way, but usually the most competitive guys do. He demands your best effort, takes pride in the product he puts on the floor, and won’t accept mediocrity. Let’s face it, in this business, if everyone loves you, you’re probably not doing something right. I believe in second chances, and I believe in Will Wade. Let's take a chance, make a splash, and let the Will Wade era begin.
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