Will Wade’s players are well aware that they won’t be practicing when Clemson is playing football.

Wade, the Clemson grad and current McNeese men’s basketball head coach, remains a Clemson man at heart – and still schedules practices around the Tigers’ football games.

“All the players know we don’t practice when Clemson plays football,” Wade said at his press conference Wednesday, as he gets set to coach against his alma mater Thursday when McNeese plays Clemson in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, R.I.

“They got these three hours on a Saturday. They all know. They joke with me about it. We had to change our pre-game schedule up around the ACC title game this year. Took them too long to kick the damn field goal, but, you know, they all know that.”

Wade graduated from Clemson in 2005, and his first coaching job came as a graduate assistant on Oliver Purnell’s staff with the Tigers from 2005-2007.

After serving as an assistant at Harvard and VCU, Wade landed his first head coaching job with Chattanooga in 2013. He’s gone on to have head coaching stints at VCU and LSU, before taking his current job at McNeese in 2023.

Wade was at LSU from 2017–2022, and he was admittedly in a bit of a “hairy” situation when LSU played Clemson in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game at the end of the 2019 season.

“Look, I’ve always been at — I’m at an FCS football school now, was at VCU. It was hairy when LSU played Clemson for the national title, but they know that,” Wade said.

“That’s the one reprieve I have. I like watching their football program play. It was no secret to them.”

Wade added that he follows Clemson’s basketball program “loosely,” but “not as close as football.”

Wade was asked what he’s like when he watches the Clemson football team during a game, and if he ever “rips” the team or its coaches, such as Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney.

“It’s hard to rip Dabo,” Wade said, laughing. “I get nervous. I follow it. I follow the recruiting closely. I followed… big recruiting week a couple weeks ago. I follow all that stuff pretty closely. I’ve gotten better as the years go on. Of course, winning a couple National Championships helps, too. I’m not nearly as into it now as I was, but the further I get away from graduating, the less I’m into it. But I do get nervous. I don’t rip the coaching. I know how hard coaching is.”

Swinney was Clemson’s wide receivers coach/recruiting coordinator when Wade was a grad assistant for the Tigers’ basketball team.

Swinney is an avid hooper in his spare time, but you won’t see Wade playing Swinney in a pickup basketball game.

“I’m not a very good player,” he said.