Enjoying the Present, Eyeing the Future

My favorite part of any trip is the beginning.

Everything is in front of you. You can literally see, touch, imagine all of what’s to come. Getting out of the car, stepping off of the plane, knowing you’ve got the best ahead: that feeling of infinite possibility is hard to beat.

It feels like Will Wade’s N.C. State program is just getting out of the car. The entire, wonderful trip is in front of us - I hope.

It took Wade less than one calendar year to rack up achievements this program hasn’t seen in decades:

• 6 straight ACC wins for the first time since 1973-1974 for only the 7th time in program history

• First 6-0 road ACC start since 1973-1974

• State has the most Q1 and Q2 wins (11) its had since Bart Torvik began tracking this data in 2008 - and that’s with at least 8 games remaining in the regular season and ACC tourney

• First 9-2 ACC start since 2003-2004 

• A new program record for road ACC win margin at FSU 

I’m certain that I’m forgetting some major accolades. I’m certain that more will be created this year, too. 

It’s worth re-emphasizing that this is happening with basically zero continuity from last year. Standing up a new way of operating the program, building a transfer heavy roster, re-establishing a recruiting base, and balancing - what I hope is - the smallest budget this program should have in the Will Wade era is more than difficult. And while early non-con splash wins were missed, it hasn't prevented State from blowing past the ceiling that had developed on this program inside of this century.

It’s easy to think about where the program is despite all of these headwinds. It’s easy to get greedy.  To look at a road trip to Louisville and imagine what seed line the Pack might jump to with a win.

To consider the impact of home wins over blue bloods that the program used to compete with, and beat out, regularly. There’s nothing wrong with doing this - we aren’t the ones working day in and day out to make the most of the opportunities. We can afford to look ahead and dream.

But as human beings, far too often do we give up the present to live in a world that hasn’t come yet. The world we’ve got right now is pretty damn good. (Even with that Georgia Tech loss that Wade himself can’t get over.)

Pull up the ACC standings and you’ll see something many of us haven’t seen in our lifetimes:

One game out of first with some breathing room in the ACC double bye slot. A team with 3 of the top 20 players in the ACC per EvanMiya’s Bayesian Performance Rating. We have something we haven’t experienced in decades right now.  Take a moment and truly process that fact.

Even as I challenge myself to stop and smell the roses of what we've got, I find myself being pulled into the future. While I should be excited, the amygdala is a hell of a human development. It is difficult to ignore the growing online rumor mill material around Wade potentially leaving after one year with State. It's also difficult to tell how much of this stuff is truly real, but we're human beings, after all.

Given his personal ties to the program and many McNeese folks moving there, LSU is an obvious "worry" candidate that doesn’t actually make much sense on paper. It's classic sports fan behavior to worry about something that might not actually be there, and there's no doubt I could be worked up simply because this success has been so rare in Raleigh.

Regardless, the broader point is largely true: if it’s not LSU or another program this offseason, there will be plenty of administrations with deeper pockets eyeing Wade in the years to come.  And it's our job to make sure those offers aren't good enough.

I believe this will be an annual cycle for N.C. State fans unless the administration and fan base gives this staff what it needs to be successful: a packed Lenovo (still in progress, but trending well) and the resources to be seriously competitive. 

While we can control things like giving to 1Pack to help us stay competitive - and I highly urge you to do so here, if you’re able - most of what happens in the bigger picture with the program is out of you and I’s hands. The future will get here when it gets here, and regardless of who and what is here, I'm confident there will be high highs and low lows. So I’m going to lean into the once in a half-century type season that is unfolding before us, and enjoy every single day.

The beginnings of a trip feel so good because of the confidence you have in what’s ahead. I hope State can do what it takes to lock Wade up long term after this season, because if it can stay on this trajectory, this program is going on the trip of its lifetime.