Amir Khan became an internet and TV sensation for McNeese during the Cowboys’ two games in the NCAA tournament. However, with head coach Will Wade reportedly moving on to NC State, the student manager is expected to follow and take his “Aura” to Raleigh.
Wade reportedly agreed to become the Wolfpack’s new coach on Wednesday, just a couple of hours after he acknowledged during a press conference that he’d spoken with NC State ahead of McNeese’s first-round matchup with his alma mater Clemson. The Cowboys upset the Tigers on Thursday before losing in the second round to Purdue.
The coach and NC State have agreed to a six-year deal, reports CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander. Khan is expected to join Wade in Raleigh as a graduate manager.
Khan following Wade to NC State probably shouldn’t be a surprise. He applied for a student manager position at McNeese because of his admiration for the coach, who he became a fan of while Wade was at LSU, according to the Associated Press.
“[Wade] brought an energy to that team that LSU basketball had never felt,” Khan told the AP’s Kyle Hightower. “So whenever I saw that I had a chance to work for him, I had to step in and do it.”
Now, Khan, nicknamed “Aura” will step over to be a part of what NC State hopes is another revival for Wade, who’s been extraordinarily successful during his career as a college basketball head coach.
Khan is on pace to graduate from McNeese in the fall (with a degree in sports management), so it isn’t yet clear when he’ll join the NC State staff, nor what his role with the men’s basketball program will be.