Will Wade (Chattanooga)
Pros: Wade is a real up and comer. In two years at Chattanooga, he’s 40–25 (.615) and has finished 2nd in the Southern Conference each season. He’s from Nashville and has tons of ties to the area. Former Tennessee administrator David Blackburn, now the athletic director at Chattanooga, has nothing but positive things to say about Wade. His teams play uptempo, high octane basketball that Vol fans would love. Wade’s four years as an assistant at VCU under Shaka Smart only bolster his resume. Prior to that, he was responsible for putting together several top-25 recruiting classes on Tommy Amaker’s staff at Harvard.
Cons: Like a few other names on this list, Wade is short on head coaching experience. But he has a ton of ties to the state and is a proven recruiter and bright basketball mind – experience may be his only con.
