Will Wade’s NC State men’s basketball staff taking shape. Here’s who has been hired

The first pieces of N.C. State’s latest coaching and roster puzzle under new men’s basketball coach Will Wade are in place.

The Wolfpack announced Monday the appointment of two assistant coaches under Wade — Adam Howard and Brandon Chambers — who will help piece together and then coach Wade’s first N.C. State team.

Chambers has been with Wade for several years at a couple previous basketball stops, including the past two at McNeese State in Lake Charles, Louisiana. At McNeese, Chambers helped the Cowboys to a 58-11 record and two Southland Conference regular-season and tournament titles.

“I’ve known Brandon for 15 years and he is one of the brightest young coaches in the game,” Wade said in a news release. “He has the ability to recruit high level talent and also possesses a great ability at teaching the game, especially defensively, which he will specialize here at N.C. State.”

While with McNeese, Chambers coached back-to-back Southland Players of the Year in Shahada Wells and Javohn Garcia, as well as two-time Southland Defensive Player of the Year, Christian Shumate.

The Cowboys made the NCAA Tournament in both seasons, and won their first tournament game this season with an upset win over Clemson in the first round.

Prior to joining Wade at McNeese State, Chambers coached with Wade at LSU as a special assistant to the head coach, and he was a student assistant at VCU in 2010 and 2011, while Wade was an assistant coach with the Rams.

Howard has been an assistant coach at Nebraska for the past three seasons, and was part of the Cornhuskers’ big turnaround from 2022-24, when they made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 10 years.

“Adam is a great coach with a proven record of building programs,” Wade said in the release. “He’s everything you want in an assistant coach with his ability to recruit, game plan and develop players. He has an excellent tactical offensive mind and will do a great job on that side of the court for our team.”

Before joining the Huskers’ staff, Howard spent four seasons as an assistant at South Alabama, where he was promoted to associate head coach for the Jaguars prior to the 2021-22 season. There, he coordinated the Jaguars’ full- and half-court defensive sets and worked with the post players, helping three players earn all-conference recognition.

This story was originally published March 31, 2025 at 11:09 AM.