Will Wade is out at NC State. Which basketball staffers may follow him to LSU?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Will Wade leaves NC State and is expected to take several staffers.
- Three staffers already left Raleigh; two more are expected to join him.
- The entire staff is not expected to follow Wade to LSU; roles remain unclear.
Will Wade is gone, now officially on the list of former N.C. State men’s basketball coaches. With his departure, he’s expected to take several staffers with — him but not everyone.
Last year, Wade told the News & Observer having familiar people is important when building a staff and a program.
“A lot of these staff members have been with me a long time, been a part of my program for a long time,” Wade said in May. “They understand what I want. They understand how we want to do things, how we want to go about our business. It’s very important to have guys that have an understanding of that. I’m very appreciative they chose to come with us to State.”
A number of staff members are expected to depart with Wade once again. In fact, three staffers were on Wade’s initial flight back to Baton Rouge, and another trio is expected to join him in the near future. The entire staff, however, is not expected to follow Wade, according to a source close to the program.
Here are the expected staff and assistant departures.
Staffers who traveled to Baton Rouge
Greg Goldin (Director of Pack Performance): Goldin joined the Wolfpack staff last summer and led the strength and conditioning program. He previously worked with Wade at Chattanooga, VCU and LSU. Goldin has already been removed from the Wolfpack athletic website.
“Very happy to have him back. I couldn’t afford him at McNeese,” Wade said in September. “He oversees our entire performance operation, from our mental performance team, athletic training, strength and conditioning and nutrition. … He has a real depth of knowledge. It takes a lot of stuff off my plate that, one, I’m not all that interested in, and, two, I don’t know anything about.”
Isaac Stansbury (analytics assistant): Stansbury also spent one season at N.C. State, working alongside General Manager Andrew Slater. He served as a graduate assistant at McNeese State before his stint in Raleigh.
Reed Vial (special assistant to the head coach): Vial is considered Wade’s right-hand-man, operating the coach’s social media platforms and assisting with matters within the program, as instructed by Wade. Vial was a walk-on at LSU, and turned that into a multi-year role.
All three staff members were once listed on the N.C. State athletics website but have since been removed.
Other assistants expected to leave
Brandon Chambers (assistant coach): Chambers was tasked with coaching the defense. He joined the program after spending time at McNeese State and LSU on Wade’s staff. Chambers also played at VCU under Shaka Smart, when Wade was an assistant coach.
Vernon Hamilton (assistant coach): Hamilton served in a player development role, helping the players implement the offensive and defensive principles into their individual roles. He worked at McNeese and LSU under Wade, and played at Clemson when Wade was a graduate assistant.
Their staff biographies remain on the N.C. State website and their social media profiles still mention N.C. State, but a source close to the program told the News & Observer they are both expected to join Wade for a second stint in Baton Rouge.
“Brandon and Vernon are both very, very talented in areas. Vernon was a high-level player, one of the best all-time in the ACC in terms of steals; great point guard, great player, great person,” Wade said last May. “There’s a lot of stuff I learned from him. He has a perspective of a player that’s quite a bit different than mine. … Brandon has an elite understanding of our defense and our defensive concepts. Brandon does a lot of stuff behind the scenes that most people don’t see that makes our program run at an extremely high level. Very appreciative of both those guys.”
It’s unclear if any other members of the coaching staff will join Wade at LSU. Several assistants and members of the support staff also remain listed on the Wolfpack website, including those who previously worked with Wade.
N.C. State Athletic Director Boo Corrigan said the administration is working with senior members of the department to ensure there is support for the players on campus.
“We did have meetings today,” Corrigan said Thursday, “with the head of strength and conditioning (Steven Soltysiak), with the head of our athletic training (Shawn Eddy), as well as nutrition (Allison Wade), to make sure that we have people in place to make sure that our students are taken care of.”
This story was originally published March 27, 2026 at 4:51 PM with the headline "Will Wade is out at NC State. Which basketball staffers may follow him to LSU?."
