LSU men's basketball coach WILL WADE (photo courtesy of LSU Athletics)
Will Wade’s LSU basketball roster officially lists only four players, but he says he’s been practicing with a full team since Labor Day. That’s because most of his players are former international pros or fifth-year seniors waiting on eligibility rulings to play this season. Wade has drawn a lot of criticism for his approach, but he says just because it’s different doesn’t make it wrong.
“20 years ago, Airbnb was unconventional; everybody stayed in a hotel. 15 years ago, you rode in a taxi everywhere. Now you take Uber. So just because it’s unconventional doesn’t mean it’s not going to work. Now, it may not work; if it doesn’t work, write about what an idiot I am,” Wade said.
All four of the players currently listed on the roster are transfers, meaning Wade will be starting from scratch for his second stint in Baton Rouge. He says his goal is to hit the ground running, and that is why he’s trying to bring in the experienced talent.
“I felt this is the best way to try and deliver a championship team for LSU, from the jump, that gives us the best chance to jumpstart our program. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong. I’ll take it, and we’ll restart next year,” Wade explained.
Wade was fired as the Tigers’ head coach in 2022 amid accusations of NCAA violations. He led the Tigers to a 108-54 record in five seasons but says that will not be enough this time around.
“We already came here; the first time we went to the NCAA Tournament four-out-of-five years and we did all that stuff, and we came here to win championships. We didn’t come back just to go to the NCAA Tournament; we came here to win. We’ve got to be better than we were the first time. This isn’t about nostalgia and all this other stuff; we’ve got to be better. So this gives us the best chance to be better,” Wade noted.
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