RALEIGH — NC State replaced Kevin Keatts with Will Wade in March 2025, introducing him 368 days ago in front of the Wolfpack community at Reynolds Coliseum. A little over a year later, Wade decided to leave his new program to return to LSU, the school that fired him for cause in 2022, beginning a long journey back to Power Four basketball.

Now, athletic director Boo Corrigan and the rest of the NC State administration must find a new leader for the men’s basketball program. To make matters more complicated, they won’t have a lot of time to do so, as the new head coach needs to be in place firmly before April 7, the day the transfer portal opens. However, early noise indicates the group in charge has eyes on two candidates.

Who are the candidates?

According to multiple reports, Corrigan and other power brokers at NC State zeroed in on Saint Louis head coach Josh Schertz and Tennessee associate head coach Justin Gainey as the primary two candidates for the opening. Both names were expected to be in the mix as soon as the Wade exit became more and more likely, although Corrigan shared no specific names during his Thursday press conference.

The NC State University Board of Trustees hosted an emergency meeting on Friday, with the primary subject being Wade’s buyout negotiation. Of course, speculation began quickly that there were discussions about the next coach of the Wolfpack, but that’s been confirmed not to be the case in the behind-closed-doors meeting for the board.

Even so, it seems as though NC State plans on making a strong push for Schertz first, despite his status as head coach at Saint Louis still and his recent agreement to a contract extension. That certainly makes things more complicated, but hiring Schertz would allow NC State to maintain any sort of positive momentum established by Wade and his regime in Raleigh. Still, Corrigan isn’t totally committed to a sitting head coach.

“I don’t think it has to be a sitting head coach at this point,” Corrigan said. “I think we want to find someone that knows how to coach and is a great coach, and has the ability to connect with people, both internal and external, with the players, be able to recruit. You have to be a good recruiter in this day and age.”

NC State will move as quickly as it possibly can, with Gainey and Schertz atop the list. That doesn’t rule out other options entirely, but all signs point to one of them being the most likely to be the next coach of the Wolfpack, ending the Will Wade era as quickly as it started.

Rapper and hip hop icon Snoop Dogg is set to produce and star in a feature film that will be shot in Oklahoma this year.

“God of the Rodeo” is based on a 1998 book from New York-based journalist and author Daniel Bergner, who reported on inmates competing in a controversial rodeo inside Louisiana’s Angola Prison in the 1960s. According to Deadline, the film centers around Bucckey, an inmate serving a life sentence who “finds a glimmer of redemption” through the rodeo. Snoop’s role has not yet been announced.

The film is directed by Rosalind Ross, who is best known for writing, directing and executive producing “Father Stu.” Snoop will produce alongside Sara Ramker, Giannina Scott and Ridley Scott, Deadline reports.

The Oklahoma Department of Commerce confirmed to News 9 on Friday “God of the Rodeo” was pre-approved for the state’s film incentive program through Oklahoma Film + Music.

Filming is scheduled in Oklahoma for June 15 through July 31, according to Oklahoma Film + Music’s website. The website also lists Tulsa-based production company Rebellium Films as working on the film. Filming locations have not been announced yet.

Not long ago, it appeared almost certain that the measles outbreak centered in Spartanburg would surpass 1,000 cases.

Now that case total may be unlikely.

On March 27, DPH reported no new infections. The total number of cases remains at 997, where it has stood since March 17, when DPH reported one new infection.

There is currently one person in quarantine, according to the March 27 DPH update.

The measles outbreak began in October and grew somewhat slowly until the Christmas holidays. In January, the number of cases exploded—from 185 on Jan. 2 to 847 on Jan. 30.

In a March 25 media briefing, state epidemiologist Linda Bell was asked about the declining number of cases.