Will Wade Preaches Precision as NC State Starts 2-0
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RALEIGH — The nation's best college basketball coaches are unique in many regards, but most share an intense attention to detail that separates them from the rest of the pack. NC State's Will Wade is no exception to that trend and expects his mindset to trickle down to his players.
"We've got decent attention to detail, but if you want to be a championship-level team, you have to have obsessive attention to detail," Wade said after the Wolfpack beat UAB in the second game of the season. "You have to have obsessive attention to detail in everything that you do."
In the two opening games, NC State has outscored its opponents, NC Central and UAB, by a score of 208-136. While Wade was satisfied with some aspects of the Wolfpack's performance, he knows there's another level his team needs to reach if it wants to meet the lofty standards he set throughout the offseason.
"Ball Security is Job Security"
In Friday's 94-70 win over the Blazers, NC State struggled against a unique mix of zone defenses executed by UAB head coach Andy Kennedy. The Wolfpack turned the ball over 14 times, seven of which came from senior point guards Quadir Copeland and Tre Holloman. In Wade's eyes, a performance like that was unacceptable.
"I'm not OK with any turnover. Look, I'm not saying we want zero turnovers, but I'd like us to keep it certainly under 12 and under 10," Wade said.
Wade's offense is highly predicated on high-level point guard play and decision-making. Holloman, Copeland and forward Darrion Williams are all more than capable of running the offense. But with those duties come massive expectations from Wade.
"When you have the ball, you have our program in your hands," Wade said. "You've got NC State in your hands. All the fans watching on TV, everybody who cares about our basketball program, you have them in your hands. You have to take care of the ball. Ball security is job security. If you want to be the damn point guard, then you have to secure the ball."
Copeland, who spent the 2024-25 season with Wade at McNeese State, knows the standard Wade holds his guards to. He also thrives on chaos, making his relationship with Wade a unique one. Holloman, who played under Tom Izzo at Michigan State for three seasons, also knows what it means to lead an offense at a prestigious program. There's no fear of pressure from them.
"We just try to keep the offense sharp, flowing," Holloman said. "Everybody touches the ball."
Wade's gripes with the offense didn't end with the turnover issues. While Holloman indicated the goal was to maintain a flow, the Wolfpack lacked that in the UAB win. At times against the zone, NC State looked stagnant and failed to overload the defense or attack in the open space effectively.
"We're just passing around the perimeter. We're taking threes off the bat passes. We're falling out of bounds on one of the threes," Wade said. "Our shot quality wasn't what it needed to be, so that was pretty disappointing, but we were able to get that corrected as we went through the game."
The last part of that statement is part of what makes Wade a member of that elite class of coaches. His team showed it could adjust on the fly. The ability to make changes in the heat of battle, even against a team that didn't pose much of a challenge, can and will be the difference as the schedule heats up.
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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