Will Wade Taking Contract Extension As VCU Basketball Coach Great For All Involved

With the 2015-16 college basketball season rapidly drawing to a close, teams that took a chance by firing their coach immediately after the season ended or had coaches bolt for other jobs are on the hunt for a diamond in the rough. One of these “diamond in the rough” coaches just got done with his first season as the head coach of the VCU Rams after previously being the head coach with the Chattanooga Mocs, Will Wade.

VCU finished the regular season tied for a share of the Atlantic-10 regular season title, lost to St. Joe’s in the A-10 championship game and won an opening NCAA tournament game against the Oregon State Beavers before falling to the Oklahoma Sooners, who are now in the Final Four. Just one year removed from the departure of successful head coach Shaka Smart, these accomplishments are nothing short of amazing.

Wade’s success brought speculative attention from coaching searches all over the country – none perhaps more than the Vanderbilt Commodores. Many believed that Vanderbilt, which is without a coach after Kevin Stallings departed for the Pittsburgh Panthers, would have a shot at Wade because they had the money available to make a push and he went to high school just down the road at FRA.

However, those rumors are dead, as Wade received a contract extension from the Rams until the 2023-24 season (via Jon Rothstein and CBS Sports). While this extension ensures that Wade does not leave for Vanderbilt, it is even better news for a fanbase that was noticeably wary after Smart left for the Texas Longhorns. Wade has proven himself in his first year with the Rams and will continue to do so in the future.

What looked to be the best offseason hire in college basketball will now have the time and job security to turn VCU back unto the powerhouse mid-major that it is and deserves to be.