Will Wade's return to coaching has meant heady times for resurgent McNeese State

Hiring former LSU basketball coach Will Wade came with no small measure of risk for McNeese State athletic director Heath Shroyer.

“I had a lot of people email me and tell me I was crazy, that I hired someone that’s a criminal," recalled Shroyer, who wasn't even sure when he hired Wade a year ago how many games the NCAA would allow him to coach this season.

Now McNeese is 28-3, the No. 1 seed in the Southland Conference Tournament and just two victories away from its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 22 years. It's a stark turnaround for the Cowboys, who went 11-23 a season ago, and Shroyer will take it.

“Coach is a polarizing figure to some, you know, and I think no matter what, some aren’t going to like him,” Shroyer said. “For sure, some of them have come around and some of them haven’t, and that’s OK.”