After a year out of basketball, ex-LSU coach Will Wade is back in the game, and he's not far away.
Wade will take over at McNeese State, putting him in prime position to mine the same recruiting grounds he did during his 5-year stint with LSU that ended with his firing prior to the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
The new McNeese head coach joined Mike Detillier on SportsTalk this week to go over his decision to join the Cowboys and more. Can't see the embed below? Click here.
According to a report from The Advocate, Wade will be suspended for five games in his first season stemming from violations incurred as head coach of the Tigers.
After head coaching stints at Chattanooga and VCU, Wade signed on at LSU in 2017, taking over after multiple subpar seasons led by Johnny Jones. The Tigers had a winning record in each of Wade's five seasons, and qualified for the NCAA Tournament three times. Two of those instances saw Wade away from the team for tournament play and replaced by an interim, with the most successful run featuring future NBA players Tremont Waters and Naz Reid, with interim Tony Benford coaching that team to the Sweet 16. His LSU record finished at 105-51, and he was replaced by Matt McMahon this past season.
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In his new gig, Wade will replace John Aiken, who compiled a 22-45 record in his two-year run with the Cowboys.
McNeese State, which plays in the Southland Conference, has made two NCAA Tournament appearances (1989, 2002), but lost in the first round both times.