McNeese State basketball might be on the verge of a shocking hire. The Cowboys are acting quickly after head coach Will Wade departed for the NC State job. The program is coming off a historic season that saw it win its first NCAA Tournament game ever. After back-to-back appearances in The Big Dance, the athletic department is looking to continue this momentum, and the latest news on the rumored head coaching candidates is very encouraging.

According to college basketball analyst Jeff Goodman, McNeese State basketball has a list of candidates already, including a Hall of Famer, for this vacancy. Goodman updated the public on this coaching search via Twitter.

“Here's a list of potential candidates for the McNeese State opening, a source told The Field Of 68: Bill Armstrong (Baylor), former West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins, James Miller (Okl St.), Matt Woodley (Wake), former Tennessee head coach Donnie Tyndall, Chase Buford (KU) and former NBA head coach Sam Mitchell. McNeese AD Heath Schroyer and former coach Will Wade have upgraded the profile of the program and also the resources. Schroyer took a chance on Wade, and it clearly paid off.”

The Cowboys continued their momentum from a 25-6 regular season into both the Southland Conference tournament and March Madness. McNeese State won its second straight conference crown and then went on to shock fifth-seeded Clemson in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. There were several engaging storylines with this group, with one of its headliners being the team's student manager, Amir Khan, who went viral and had his own NIL deal. But it's the players that deserve the most credit for this run.

Players like Javohn Garcia, Sincere Parker, Christian Shumate, DJ Richards Jr., Quadir Copeland, Joe Charles, Brandon Murray, and more have all etched their names into the record books for this program and university. And some of these key contributors still have eligibility for next season, making the next hire all the more crucial.

If McNeese State basketball were to hire Bob Huggins, it would be another controversial decision. Like Will Wade, the 2022 Hall of Fame coach has a recent checkered past. A series of incidents, including some insensitive comments and a drunk-driving arrest, led to Huggins' resignation from West Virginia in 2023.

However, as Jeff Goodman states, hiring Will Wade paid off, and Athletic Director Heath Schroyer might pull the trigger again. McNeese State basketball is very much relevant in the college basketball landscape now, and this program is looking to keep it this way.