Coach Departs Harvard Program

William Wade, the assistant coach who quietly guided the ascension of the Harvard Men’s Basketball team through his influence on the recruiting process, will be leaving the Crimson’s sidelines to join the staff at Virginia Commonwealth University, The Crimson confirmed yesterday.

The young coach, who spent the last two years combing the country in search of new talent for the Crimson’s roster, was one of the architects behind last season’s recruiting class and has been instrumental in building what is expected to be an equally impressive haul next year.

“It is a bittersweet moment for us,” Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said in an e-mailed statement. “While we are disappointed to lose Will, he has a tremendous opportunity at VCU, and we are thrilled for him. We’ll certainly miss him greatly and the terrific job he did for Harvard Basketball.”

With the recruiting season culminating in the next few weeks, the move is likely to send ripples through the program. In interviews with the Boston Globe and Scout.com respectively, high school seniors Kyle Casey, who verbally committed to Harvard in February, and Dee Giger, who committed to the Crimson last July, each cited Wade as one of their primary reasons for choosing the College.

“He was very persistent and comes off immediately as a personal, great guy,” said freshman guard Oliver McNally, one of the players recruited by Wade last season. “He can make connections with all types of kids.”

Wade’s departure comes on the eve of a weekend in which Harvard plays host to two of the nation’s top recruits. Blue-chippers Dwight Powell and Rod Odom are expected to visit campus this weekend, according to the Cornell Basketball Blog.

The cases of particular recruits are not allowed to be discussed because of NCAA regulations, making it hard to determine just how Wade’s move could jeopardize the commitments of players with whom he has built personal relationships.

For his part, Wade insisted that recruiting remains in capable hands.

“Coach Amaker is a tremendous recruiter,” Wade said. “He’s going to carry the torch recruiting-wise—Coach [Kenny] Blakeney does a tremendous job, and whoever else they hire will do a great job. In a lot of ways, Harvard sells itself.”

Several players agreed with Wade, saying that his departure will not impact next season’s recruiting class.

“We have a good class coming in, and I don’t think his leaving will affect anybody,” junior guard Jeremy Lin said, a sentiment echoed by captain Andrew Pusar.

It is unclear who will assume Wade’s responsibilities and whether that person will come from inside or outside the program.

“I know [Amaker] has got a wide list of names,” Wade said of potential candidates for his replacement. “I know he’ll find the best guy for the program, and everything will keep clicking.”

Wade is leaving Cambridge to join a VCU coaching staff headed by Shaka Smart, who was named head coach of the program last week.

The Rams have made two of the past three NCAA tournaments, scoring a first-round upset over Duke in 2007.

“We are going to wreak havoc on our opponents’ psyche and their plan of attack,” Smart promised in the press conference announcing his appointment.

Wade and Smart coached together for Clemson during the 2006-07 basketball season, where Wade served as the director of men’s basketball operations and Smith was an assistant coach and the recruiting coordinator for the Tigers under head coach Oliver Purnell.

“Coach Smart and I are very close friends,” Wade said. “It would have taken a lot for me to leave Harvard, because I loved Harvard and I loved what we were building.”

Wade’s first class of recruits helped the Crimson improve from eight wins last year to 14 wins this season, which included victories over Boston College and Cornell.

His second class of recruits will not be finalized until late May, but early projections have it ranked at the top of the Ivy League. Outside of recruiting, Wade’s presence was felt in the team locker room.

“I think everyone had a good relationship with Coach,” Pusar said. “He was really in touch with the personality of the team. It helped us psychologically. When things were going good, he knew what to say, and when things were going bad, he knew what to say.”

“Obviously he’ll be missed,” Lin added. “He was an integral part of our basketball family.”

If his 2010 recruiting class holds together, Wade, Smart’s first hire at VCU, will be assured a legacy at Harvard for at least the next four years.

“I’m just thankful that I was able to spend two years at such a great institution and meet so many great people,” Wade said. “It was just a tremendous experience for me, and I really appreciate Harvard taking a chance on me and giving me the opportunity.”

“I look forward to following Harvard the next couple of years as we win our first Ivy League title and make history,” he added. “It will be a lot of fun to see.”

—Staff writer Timothy J. Walsh can be reached at twalsh@fas.harvard.edu.