Will Wade won’t admit it, but there were tears in his eyes when the final buzzer went off Thursday afternoon inside the Amica Mutual Pavilion.

With chaos breaking out all over the court, he desperately searched for anybody to grab onto. 

He really wanted to hug the entire population of Lake Charles, but he first settled for the man who took a chance and brought him and his baggage to town.

A hug wasn’t good enough. Wade leaped into the arms of McNeese Athletic Director Heath Schroyer, nearly knocking him to the ground. He did so with the force of three years of frustration behind him.

The gamble Schroyer made two years ago, plucking Wade out of the darkness after he was fired by LSU for now-legal recruiting issues, paid off 10-fold in Providence, Rhode Island.

Wade, however, was not alone on this redemption tour. He had more than a few players come along for the ride, who also came from elsewhere.

After the final buzzer, the group danced around the floor and made their way to the McNeese cheering section, which seemed to grow as the seconds of the Cowboys’ victory over Clemson ticked off the clock.

The fans were quick to embrace their new heroes as well. They made them their own. The community welcomed them long ago into their hearts; now, they’re making history together.

What followed was a massive surge in attention from a nation suddenly embracing McNeese as this year’s NCAA Tournament darlings. 

“It’s not about me; it’s about our guys,” said Wade. “It’s about our guys and school. I’m so fortunate that McNeese gave me the opportunity, and I’m happy for our guys.”

Wade embraced Lake Charles when he arrived two springs ago; he became part of a community he didn’t know. 

But this week, after his Cowboys won their first NCAA Tournament game in school history, he was back on the national stage, talking to the very reporters who knew half the facts and chose to bury him.

Instead of telling them to go fly a kite, Wade took the very high road. Now, more humbled, he has set the standard with his players.

“Our school is forever going to be changed because of this,” said Wade. “I’m very, very pleased for everybody at McNeese and our town and everything. All these guy’s lives have been changed forever.”

So has Wade’s. He’s once again the talk of college basketball but for a much different reason. 

Wade appears headed to North Carolina State after the Cowboys were eliminated, but now he could grab a much more glamorous job. 

The same can be said for his players, who more prominent basketball schools are undoubtedly salivating over.

This is also redemption for guys like Brandon Murray, who was with Wade at LSU and wandered around looking for a new home without him. Or Joe Charles, who came to McNeese from just down the road at Louisiana-Lafayette.

Then there’s Quadir Copeland, who was lost until Wade’s calendar switched to 2025. Now, after coming over from Syracuse in the offseason, he’s back on center stage.

And don’t forget Sincere Parker. He plays big when the games are big. He may just be a star in the making.

It isn’t that Wade is the leader of a band of misfits but rather misplaced players. A group that found a home in Lake Charles, a city rebuilding after two hurricanes whose people know what it’s like to put back together wrecked lives.

They will forever be liked in a remarkable tale of redemption for the coach, players, and community.

It’s a story worthy of shedding a tear over, even if you don’t want to admit it.

Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer who covers McNeese State athletics for the American Press. Email him at jimgazzolo@yahoo.com