Will Wade has reportedly signed his contract with NC State, completing the long-awaited move from McNeese State. Wade waited out the NCAA Tournament to make the move, but never shied away from questions after news broke that he would be leaving.

Asked about his old LSU rival on Saturday, Alabama basketball head coach Nate Oats praised how Wade handled the situation.

“I actually thought he handled it well, and I actually brought it up to somebody the other day,” Oats said. “The noise is out there. Leaks happen, whatever. It’s out there that he’s getting the job. You may as well address it with your guys. Here’s the thing. When I was at Buffalo and I took the Alabama job, none of that stuff came up until after the season and that was super great because I wouldn’t have wanted it to.

“But if it’s going to come up and you’ve already been offered a job and you’ve come to some type of agreement or it’s out there and it’s leaked. I think he’s got a way of being honest with his guys, and I think his players, obviously with the way they performed in the first game — I don’t want to speak for that program, but from what it looked like, they’re playing hard for him. He’s got them in the right frame of mind.”

Wade and Oats had an intense rivalry early in Oats’ tenure at Alabama. The scandal that wound up ending Wade’s tenure in Baton Rouge was a frequent target for Crimson Tide fans, who famously wore FBI jackets to Coleman Coliseum when LSU came to Tuscaloosa.

McNeese came to Alabama again this season, a game the Crimson Tide won. McNeese beat Clemson to begin the SEC Tournament before losing to Purdue Saturday.

The news of the finalized jump to NC State broke shortly after the loss. Oats continued to praise Wade’s honesty with regards to the pending move.

“On my end dealing with my players, I’d rather be honest with them all the time,” Oats said. “What’s the point of lying, trying to cover stuff up? If it’s out there, let’s just be honest. I was afforded a better opportunity, you guys helped me get there, and in their case for those who got eligibility level, he’s helping them get a better opportunity. There’s rev share, there’s NIL, all this.

“Those guys, whether they stay there for the next coach, whoever it is, the more they win, the better their NIL is going to get, everyone is going to want to help them out a little more if they hit the portal or whatever. They’re doing better. The further you go in this tournament, the bigger your name gets, the better your NIL gets. It’s win-win on both cases.”

Alabama continues its NCAA Tournament run Sunday, against Saint Mary’s in Cleveland. The game is scheduled to tip off at 5:10 p.m. CT and will be aired on TNT.