Diary Series: Will Wade, Asst. Coach - VCU (Hoisting the Final Four banner)

Finally, November has arrived! In this profession, that only means one thing: real college basketball games. After putting in extensive work this summer and practicing against ourselves since the middle of October, we finally have the opportunity to compete against players wearing a different uniform. This past Thursday we had our first exhibition game versus California University of Pennsylvania. As expected, some of our younger players were slightly nervous playing in the Siegel Center for the first time. One of the benefits of playing an exhibition game is you’re able to work out any kinks you have in time for when games start to count. We certainly had a few kinks with a young team, but it was a great learning experience for our group.

Tomorrow is a big day for our program. November 11^th marks the first game for this year’s team. It is also the day we unveil our Final Four banner from this past season. Not only will this be exciting for our players, but it is an important experience for our fans as well. The amount of support they show our tournament run was terrific and really unified Richmond. We truly have one of the best fan bases in the country. As far as our team goes, Friday is the last chapter before we turn the page on the Final Four. From a coach’s perspective, you want your players to realize the significance of their accomplishments. However, you also try your best to prevent your players from getting caught up in the hype and attention pertaining to something that occurred last season.

The time between the end of one season and the start of another usually seems like years. Once the season begins, the time flies by. As soon as you’re done playing one game, it is time to start preparing for your next opponent. After our game Friday, the team will get ready for the Charleston Classic in Charleston, SC. The tournament organizers did a great job assembling a strong and competitive field. Playing against teams like Georgia Tech, Louisiana State, Northwestern, Seton Hall, Saint Joseph’s, Tulsa and Western Kentucky can only help improve your team. Not only does the field have impressive BCS schools, but the mid-major programs participating have rich tradition as well.  We play the Pirates of Seton Hall  in the first round which will be a big test for our young team. The location for this year’s tournament is different than last season when we were in New York City for the Preseason NIT. It is safe to say the weather will be warmer this time around. Prior to coaching at VCU, I was an assistant at Harvard for two years. During that time I experienced my fair share of cold Cambridge days. While the experience of playing in Madison Square Garden was remarkable, I have no quarrels about spending several November days in coastal South Carolina.

Speaking of Thanksgiving in Charleston, people ask me all the time about spending holidays traveling and being away from my family. Obviously it would be perfect if I were able to spend every Thanksgiving and Christmas with my parents and brother. However, life is not perfect and I am very grateful to still be around a great group of coaches, players and other members of the VCU program. There are thousands of brave men and women overseas fighting for our freedom who are away from their family, friends and country for months and years at a time. I am thankful to be a part of such a fantastic program and look forward to another college basketball season filled with Rams Basketball!

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