NC State’s basketball resurgence hit a surprise roadblock with the departure of head coach Will Wade. He took the job only last year and proved to be a good hire after taking the Wolfpack to the Final Four. But how long could NC State keep him in town when an SEC giant like LSU lurks around? Wade dropped his former team to go back home, which has left the Wolfpack in crisis. But the program is giving its all in recruiting a quality replacement, which brought them to Saint Louis’ Josh Schertz.

According to basketball insider Jeff Goodman, the Wolfpack is pursuing Schertz despite his fresh six-year, $22 million contract extension at Saint. Louis. Making such a move would mean that NC State will be preparing a juicier offer in both salary and NIL to pry him away from his commitment to the Billikens. Schertz put pen to paper with SLU on March 13, just a couple of weeks ago.

He is only in his second year of coaching the Bilikens, but they trust him enough to keep him around for the near future. This season, he led St. Louis to a 29-6 record to match the school’s single-season record for wins. Under his guidance, Saint Louis secured its first Atlantic 10 regular-season championship since 2014. And perhaps most impressively, in just two seasons, Schertz transformed a program that finished 13–20 the year before his arrival into an NCAA Tournament team. No wonder he is a top candidate for NC State.

With the transfer portal looming, time isn’t on their side either. And maybe that is why, instead of playing it safe, they are making an aggressive move. This is also the second consecutive year NC State is on the hunt for a new head coach, which is a troubling reality for athletic director Boo Corrigan. According to The Athletic, Wade had “expressed his intentions” of staying at Raleigh. He later skipped a meeting with Corrigan, following which his agent informed him that Wade would be leaving.

“I’m disappointed for our university that we’re here today,” Corrigan said.

According to NC State athletic director Boo Corrigan, the Wolfpack does not want to enter another rebuild. Instead, they are searching for someone who can build on the momentum from this past season. As it stands, it appears they have identified that person as Josh Schertz. The only question now is: will $22 million be enough to keep him where he is, or is NC State about to pull off one of the boldest coaching moves of the offseason?

Josh Schertz Addresses Future Amid Growing Interest from Power Programs

On the eve of his $22 million contract announcement, Josh Schertz made it clear where he stands regarding his commitment to Saint Louis. Opportunities come knocking when one is as successful as he is with the Billikens. They can present as more lucrative than their current stations, which forces them to judge where they will fare better. Apparently, Schertz had a big reason for deciding to continue along with Saint Louis.

“If you’re happy with your athletic director,” Schertz said, “with your president, with the board of trustees… It’s very hard to mess with happy.” And as things stand now, Josh Schertz clearly feels happy with the Billikens. As he puts it, “I think I’ve shown I’m very happy where I am… It would take a really incredible situation to walk away from being happy.”

NC State is trying hard to be in that situation, but it won’t be easy. Also circling above Schertz are North Carolina and Syracuse, who have much more at hand to lure him away from Saint Louis. In the world of sports, you can never say never. 

The Wolfpack is racing against time to find its new head coach, and fans will hope that they win out when it comes to Josh Schertz. The team would need a candidate like him after being disappointed by Will Wade, who left the team at a crucial time in the year.