REUNION: Will Wade returning to LSU

By Matt Moscona and Hunt Palmer

He’s back.

LSU has reached an agreement with Will Wade to return to LSU as head basketball coach, LouisianaSports.net has learned.

Four years after an unceremonious firing amid NCAA investigation, Wade has agreed to lead the Tiger basketball program for a second time. He departs North Carolina State after one season where he led the Wolfpack to 20-14 record and a First Four exit in the NCAA Tournament.

Since Wade’s departure, LSU has fallen to the bottom of the Southeastern Conference, posting back-to-back 3-15 finishes in the league and a 17-55 conference record in four seasons under Matt McMahon who replaced Wade in 2022.

McMahon was fired on Thursday.

The NCAA’s now-defunct Independent Accountability Resolution Process hit Wade with four Level 1 violations during while at LSU including, “failing to report potential NCAA violations, providing impermissible cash payments to impede disclosure of information of potential NCAA violations in contradiction to NCAA unethical conduct legislation, and failing to cooperate with the infractions investigation.”

Wade received a two-year show cause and a 10-game suspension.

LSU was penalized a pair of scholarships and incurred some recruiting limitations. Wade’s termination was the NCAA’s main concern.

Wade then resurfaced at McNeese State in 2023 and immediately turned that program around. He went 58-11 in two seasons, 36-2 in Southland Conference play. His team won both conference tournaments to qualify for the NCAA Tournament and beat Clemson in the Round of 64 last season.

After the successful run in Lake Charles, Wade landed at NC State.

Discounting the COVID-19 shortened season of 2019-20, which LSU would have made the tournament under Wade, the embattled coach has made eight of the last nine NCAA Tournaments with four programs (VCU, LSU, McNeese, NC State). His team has only advanced to the Sweet 16 once, and Wade was suspended by LSU for that 2019 tournament run due to the NCAA investigation.

His overall head coaching record is 266-119 (.691) including a 105-51 (.673), 55-33 (.625) run at LSU.

Wade will reunite with former McNeese President Dr. Wade Rousse and former McNeese Athletic Director Heath Shroyer who hired him at McNeese and are now part of the LSU administration.