For the third time in four months, McNeese State rolled out the red carpet for a new head coach of a major program.

This time was different.

As the band played and the cheerleaders cheered, Bill Armstrong walked out from the tunnel in the Legacy Center and right into some mighty big shoes.

Now it’s up to him to fill them.

“I don’t want to hide from the pressure, I want the pressure,” said Armstrong. “This is a dream come true for me.”

Armstrong was introduced to Cowboys fans Wednesday as the 13th head coach in the men’s basketball program’s history. He replaces Will Wade, who, in two seasons, took McNeese to record heights and left the program with great expectations.

“We are going to continue to build on what this program has done the last two years,” Armstrong told the crowd. “We will keep this standard going. I am grateful for this opportunity.”

Armstrong takes over a program that posted a 58-11 record under Wade over his two-year tenure in Lake Charles.

Before Armstrong, McNeese hired Matt Viator as the new head football coach in December, followed by naming Ayla Guzzardo the women’s basketball coach on Monday.

“I have said before, McNeese is a sleeping giant,” said McNeese Athletic Director Heath Schroyer. “The giant is wide awake, and we are just getting started.

“The foundation has been laid, and the championship standard has been set. I am confident Coach Armstrong is ready to grab the keys and start to write the next chapter in our program’s history.”

Armstrong is a former assistant for Wade at LSU and spent last season at Baylor. He won a national championship as a high school coach at Link Academy in Branson, Missouri, an elite basketball school that is run like a college.

“That has prepared me for this opportunity,” Armstrong said. “I don’t think there is a better situation in the country with the excitement around this program.”