Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
By Hunt Palmer
The first few adds to Will Wade’s first roster came in the frontcourt.
Divine Ugochukwu was the first perimeter addition, and he’s a good one. Ugochukwu has been recruited by two of the best coaches of the era in Jim Larranaga and Tom Izzo. That’s the first positive check in his boxes. He was only a three-star recruit from Sugar Land, Texas, when Miami inked him, and Izzo took a shot on him after just 16 starts.
The pieces to Wade’s first puzzle are starting to come together, and Ugochukwu is still the only true guard among the mix.
WHAT WE KNOW
Ugochukwu is a 6-foot-3 guard with a slender frame. He started 16 games as a freshman for a disaster of a Miami team that Larranaga quit on the day after Christmas. The 75-year-old coach was sick of the portal and NIL and hung it up. His team subsequently started 0-10 in ACC play.
In the midst of that chaos, Ugochukwu got a chance to play. He started 14 of 18 ACC games and averaged 18 minutes per conference contest. He was a spark for Miami averaging three assists and a steal in league games. What he didn’t do was shoot the ball well.
As a freshman, he made juts 6-of-34 threes for 18 percent. He did make 61 percent of his twos, but the 63 percent free throw shooting was a concern.
He has long arms and above average athleticism. He played with an edge despite being on a team headed nowhere fast. When the season ended, he hopped in the portal. Michigan State came calling, and he jumped.
I thought Divine Ugochukwu made some winning plays for Michigan State this past year before his season ending injury.
A bit disappointed he didn’t go back.
Will be a really nice backup PG for Will Wade and LSU. Plays with a good pace. Good shooter. pic.twitter.com/gSKFEbNx1B
— JPR (@Scouting_Col) May 7, 2026
Ugochukwu raised his level of play in East Lansing. He earned a starting role in conference play, and in his first start of the season went 5-for-5 from three-point range dropping a season-high 23 at Penn State. That was an indication of his improved shooting as he shot 44 percent from deep at Michigan State over 21 games.
His free throw shooting dipped 55 percent, but he didn’t shoot a lot of them, less than one per game.
Ugochukwu has played in 50 games with 28 starts in the ACC and Big 10. He’s a seasoned player with an interesting skillset.
The 2025-26 season ended with a foot injury he suffered in February. He never returned.
THE FIT
Right now, he’s LSU’s only guard.
Ugochukwu can handle the ball and distribute a little bit. He plays with a ton of energy, and I love his length defensively. His highlight tape suggests a ton of steals, but the stat sheet doesn’t agree. He had 29 steals at Miami but just nine at Michigan State in 21 games.
I still think those instincts are there, and the length definitely is. He’s 6-foot-3 which is long for a point guard. His long arms will allow him to check shooting guards, too.
My biggest fascination is going to be with his shooting. That 44 percent from three is a fantastic number, but 12 starts is a small sample size. Wade has added Marcio Santos who is an elite pick-and-pop shooter in the front court. Abdi Bashir Jr. is a long-range assassin who will play the wing. If Ugochukwu is actually the 44 percent shooter he was at Michigan State, LSU is assembling group that can really stretch defenses.
Ugochukwu can attack off the bounce, and I think he’ll do some of that. He’s a good finisher and an emotional sparkplug.
HUNT’S PROJECTION
Right now, Ugochukwu feels like a starter at the two guard. Michigan State spent the majority of the year in the top 15 and was a three seed that made it to the Elite Eight. He was good enough to start for that team. He’s probably good enough to start for this one, but I don’t know what his competition is going to be.
I’m not prepared to call him a great shooter. Santos and Bashir Jr. are elite shooters over multiple seasons. Ugochukwu shot it well for a month in East Lansing after a terrible shooting year in Miami. I’ll judge that with time.
My early read is that he’s a solid defender that is longer than most point guards and a long enough to bother twos. He’s a good attacker with a high motor that probably shoots a steady 33-to-35 percent from deep and does some creating for other players.
I don’t see Ugochukwu as a primary ball handler or elite SEC scorer. LSU is still missing those pieces to this point. To bring things to Wade terms, I don’t see a Tremont Waters or Cam Thomas here. Those are high bars, but Wade went on record saying that LSU would have a top 15 roster. Those would be pieces to that puzzle.
Ugochukwu is a solid addition. I’m confident in that. I think he’s a starter who averages about 10 points per game as a good defender. I’m not ready to call him a gamechanger despite the fact that he logged real minutes for a great team last season.
If he’s the sixth-man or backup point guard, LSU really has something. We just won’t know that until the roster is complete.
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