“Let’s see if he can retain Amir’s salary”: College hoops fans react as McNeese hire Baylor’s Bill Armstrong as next HC

Days after Will Wade left McNeese for NC State, the school reached an agreement with Baylor’s former assistant coach Bill Armstrong. He is coming off helping Scott Drew lead the Bears to the second round of the NCAA tournament. Armstrong has an extensive resume of coaching in the Division I circuit, including 17 years in the SEC.

BB insider Jon Rothstein updated the fans about the coaching change on X.

Fans showcased reservations for McNeese's new hire on X:

"Will they make the tournament without Will Wade?" a user wrote.

"Yeah they’re gonna go back to being irrelevant again," a fan commented.

"Let’s see if he can retain Amir’s salary," another user added.

More fans continued to poke fun at the program and Bill Armstrong:

"Think Cam Carr will follow him to McNeese too? 😂🤣😭," a fan wrote.

"The bagman at LSU under Wade?" a user commented.

"Is this hire good enough for them to continue southland domination?" another fan added.

The Cowboys finished first in the Southland this season behind a 19-1 conference record. They earned an NCAA bid and pulled off a major upset against the No. 5-seated Clemson 69-67 in the first round. The school was eliminated on Friday after a 76-62 loss against 2024 NCAA championship runner-up Purdue.

Bill Armstrong will be without the viral McNeese student-manager Amir Khan

Since Bill Armstrong was once the associate head coach on Will Wade's coaching staff at LSU, it will be an easy transition for the new coach. However, the absence of student-manager Amir Khan will be a noticeable void in the program's culture as he is reportedly following Will Wade to NC State.

Wade sees Khan's inclusion as a factor in the Cowboys' success and has offered him a promotion. Khan will be a graduate assistant in his new role. He will share different responsibilities of what he spearheaded at McNeese, which is are yet to be outlined.

Khan became a fan favorite and gained national fame this season behind his one-of-a-kind hallway dance video with team players. The fans have lovingly nicknamed him 'Aura.' His following has also enabled him to become the first student manager with NIL deals.