The 8th Annual McDonald’s Tift County Invitational is almost here, and the 2017 GHSA 6A State Champion Tift Blue Devils have a new coach.
Chris Wade inherited the title of Tift County High School’s boys basketball coach, and all the expectations that come with the territory rest on him this season.
Many recognize Tift County’s basketball program for the way its athletes play, its winnings, and the coaches that brought the team success.
Wade said the Blue Devils have always been “a really classy, well run program.”
“It’s always been like this,” he said. “It’s consistently been an elite program and consistently run with class.”
Wade is from Forest Park in South Atlanta. He attended Truett McConnell Junior College for two years, where he played tennis before transferring to Georgia Southwestern State University, where he played basketball.
After graduating, he coached basketball and football at Americus. He started the junior college basketball program at South Georgia Technical College and then went to Miami-Dade for a year.
Wade played basketball from a young age, but knew early he was going to coach.
“I was pretty realistic about my abilities,” he said. “I was never under the impression that I was going pro or anything. I just used what ability I had to learn as much and stay on a team long enough to get as much experience as possible to go to coaching.”
On the surface, Wade and past coach Eric Holland seem to be a lot different, but after working together for years, it’s only the execution that sets them apart.
“Our method of getting the message across is a little bit different sometimes, but we both believe in discipline basketball, and we both understand that defense wins,” Wade said.
He believes this season will be very different from the last few. Wade asked that fans and supporters take it easy on the players this season.
“We’re gonna be a lot smaller, and we’re going to be a lot less methodical offensively because of that,” Wade said. “We’ll rely on perimeter shooting, which will result in more free flow ball movement, player movement, so I think we’ll be kind of fun to watch, depending on how we shoot it.”
That doesn’t mean that Tift County will be easy to beat.
“[The players] kinda got a chip on their shoulder,” he said. “Since coach Holland has left, everyone thinks this is their shot to get Tifton. Our kids are actually pissed off about it. They’re ready to get started and prove they’re still players here and still are going to maintain what we’ve been doing. “
Wade said this year will be about maintaining the success and quality of the program. He takes pride in maintaining the expectations of how the team acts, looks, and plays, and he is prepared to make his mark as a coach in the program.
No matter the changes this year, Wade said, “We’re still Tift County.”
He’s also already looking forward to the 8th Annual McDonald’s Invitational. The school partners with local McDonald’s restaurants to host a tournament against teams in nearby cities.
Wade said he’s interested in making it a tournament style again. This year, the schedule includes nearby teams such as Albany and Nashville and teams from as far as Bartow and Minneola, Florida.
Wade ensured the tournament is “something South Georgia can be proud of.” The 8th Annual McDonald’s Invitational is set for Dec. 28- 30 at Tift County High School.
Coach Chris Wade
Written By: Morgan Danford
Continuing the Brand With a New Team
