Fans, donors energized as NC State introduces Will Wade as basketball coach: 'Our time is now'

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Will Wade's trademark confidence was on full display Tuesday afternoon as he addressed Wolfpack Nation during his introductory news conference.

"Our time is right now. This is the first time in a while the fans, the administration, and the program, we're all on one accord. Everybody's on the same accord; everybody's singing from the same sheet of music. When that happens at NC State, it's going to be a reckoning for the ACC, it's going to be a reckoning for college basketball. And it's coming. It's coming soon," said Wade, whose remarks drew applause from an audience of former players, administrators, staffers, and donors.

The group included NC State alum Chris Vurnakes, who runs the 1PACK NIL collective.

"I thought the press conference was amazing. Coach Wade said everything that our fan base wants him to say," said Vurnakes. "We want to be competitive. We want to play with the big boys in the ACC and in the country. We want to get to the NCAA tournament. We want to bring trophies back to Raleigh. That's exactly what he said today."

During the two-plus weeks of the coaching search, Vurnakes said the collective has seen a surge of new sign-ups.

"The fan base has stepped up like we could have honestly never believed. Our membership's grown 40% in 14 days. We've got contributors buying hats, T-shirts, chipping in for memberships, donations, etc. It's the support as well. We've got it right now. If we can continue it, we're going to see success on the court," said Vurnakes.

Alum John McRorie added, "The Will Wade hire and seeing what he can bring to NC State in a national prominence or spotlight perspective has energized Wolfpack Nation like I've not seen in a long time, probably 30 years."

The former NC State football player praised the work of McMurray Family Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan in landing Wade, who is fresh off leading McNeese State to the second round of the NCAA tournament with an upset win against ACC member Clemson, Wade's alma mater.

"At some point, we were still kind of questioning if it was going to come true. Being Wolfpack fans, you get let down a lot. But once (Wade) signed the deal, it was huge. We were excited. I was like, 'I'm ready for next year.' They got a tournament in Maui. I'm thinking about going to Maui now," said McRorie.

He's hopeful more fans will step up to support the program financially. Analysis conducted by accountant Patrick O'Rourke estimates that NC State is 40th among public schools in annual revenue and sixth in the ACC.

"Boo told me what we had in NIL and revenue share and I get here and we got more than they told me we had," said Wade.

He told ABC11 there were no specific stipulations regarding financial support during the interview process.

"We're going to be competitive. Are we going to have the most? No, but that's not what we need. We got to be competitive, and that's on me to spend it properly and to allocate the resources, and a general manager, to allocate the resources properly," said Wade.

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In a follow-up question, Wade responded to the surge of membership sign-ups -- more than 600 new members -- to the 1PACK NIL collective during the past couple of weeks.

"They want to win. And we're going to win. So, I think that support speaks volumes. We love the fans. We love our fanbase," said Wade.

Following the news conference, Wade was greeted by hundreds of fans who lined up outside Reynolds Coliseum, stopping to take pictures and sign autographs.

"We'll support anything red and white, but when we win, there's nothing like the feeling in Raleigh and Wake County and even the state of North Carolina when we win. We got a taste of that last year when we won the ACC and went to the Final Four. Now we want to get back, and I think Will Wade's a great coach to get us there," added Vurnakes.