"Feels very Jimmy V": Analyst compares ACC coaching personas, placing Will Wade alongside legends like Dean Smith, Coach K and Jimmy 

After guiding McNeese to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in program history, Will Wade returned to the ACC this offseason, joining North Carolina State. Wade replaced Kevin Keatts, who departed after eight seasons with the Wolfpack.

Now, Wade faces the task of bringing NC State back to the upper echelon of the ACC from the bottom third, where Keatts left them last season.

Wade didn't mince words during his offseason press conference on Wednesday, making it clear that he will use every resource at his disposal to return the program to prominence.

Analyst Tim Donnelly was highly impressed with Wade's assertiveness and confidence. He discussed the coach's remarks with Graham Hill on the latest episode of "The Drive" podcast, comparing Wade's personality to some iconic coaches in college basketball.

"I’ve made this comparison before, but I want to be clear — it’s just in role, not in quality, and definitely not in accomplishment," Donnelly said. "Yet. But it feels very, in no particular order — Dean Smith, Coach K, Jimmy V, right? (Timestamp: 3:18).

"Will Wade is kind of playing that same role. Again, we don’t know if the quality of coaching is ever going to reach the level of those three, and he darn sure hasn’t accomplished as much as those three, but it’s very similar in that the Duke and UNC coaches are more buttoned-up — more 'coachly,' if you will — and then NC State has this guy who’s just out there saying bold things and bringing energy."

Will Wade confident in roster but hopes to add one more player

After 12 players from last season's squad departed the program in the offseason, Will Wade needs to rebuild the roster from scratch. Only one player remains from last year: guard Paul McNeil.

"I think we’ve done a solid job. We’re still looking. We’d like to add another big or two if we can find the right guys," Wade said during his press conference on Wednesday (1:36).

"At this point, you need a little bit of luck, whether it’s a foreign guy or some other things that happen."

Wade brought in eight transfers to fill in his first NC State roster, according to ESPN. Texas Tech forward Darrion Williams and Michigan State guard Tre Holloman are the two highest-rated transfers. They also added three freshmen to the roster — Matt Able, Zymicah Wilkins and Jayme Kontuniemi.