After five seasons, it’s time for a change, as Will Wade has been fired with cause by LSU Basketball. Wade has been the head coach of the Tigers for the last five years, but the FBI investigation seems to have gotten the best of him, fired nine years into his D1 head coaching career.
Wade graduated from Clemson and spent time as a graduate assistant under Oliver Purnell, but his first full-time coaching experience came under Tommy Amaker at Harvard. Wade then spent four years under Shaka Smart at VCU and was an assistant coach for the 2011 Rams that went all the way to the Final Four as an 11-seed.
Wade’s head coaching career began in 2013 when he accepted the head coaching job at Chattanooga. Inheriting a program struggling in recent years, he led the Mocs to 40 wins across two seasons and a pair of 2nd place finishes in the SoCon. After that, he was hired to return to VCU as head coach, succeeding Shaka Smart. Wade led the Rams to two straight NCAA Tournament appearances, and 51 wins across those two seasons.
This remarkable run at those two schools was a big reason why LSU hired him as their next head coach back in 2017. Overall, his impact with the basketball program was positive, leading the Tigers to an SEC regular-season title in 2019 and two more finishes among the Top 3 in a very talented league. He took LSU to a pair of NCAA Tournament bids and has them prepped for another trip this season.
Unfortunately, Wade’s entire tenure was impacted by recruiting violations and the FBI wiretap investigation that followed. Back when they won that regular-season title, Wade was suspended at the end of the season and did not coach the Tigers, who went all the way to the Sweet Sixteen. It appears that LSU has gotten word about those allegations and decided to cut ties with Wade before this year’s NCAA Tournament, this time for good.
Wade’s investigation may have lasting effects on this program; we simply don’t know what the long-term damage will be. Regardless, this LSU program can rise again and be a legitimate contender in the SEC, especially if they bring the right head coach to Baton Rouge. We’re going to be taking a closer look at a number of potential candidates for the LSU job, presenting the following strictly in alphabetical order.