To anyone that’s been to an LSU basketball game this past season, rebuilding the program seems necessary.
Due to empty seats, blow outs, a three-month losing streak and the worst season since 1997, that sounds about right.
Don’t tell that to Will Wade.
“I identified LSU as somewhere that was an absolute sleeping giant,” the Tigers’ new men’s basketball coach said. “LSU has everything you need to be successful.”
Wade was hired to replace former fifth-year coach Johnny Jones. Wade said he’s always thought highly of LSU, dating back to his time from 2013-15 at Chattanooga .
For Wade, LSU gives him a chance to put a “stamp” on a program that has missed the NCAA Tournament four of the last five seasons.
But he’s inheriting an LSU program vastly different than the one he left at VCU.
VCU has built itself as one of the top mid-major programs in the country, with seven straight NCAA Tournaments appearances and even a trip to the Final Four in 2011.
LSU, known for its football-rich tradition, hasn’t had back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances since 2006.
“I looked at LSU as a place that had a ton of untapped potential,” Wade said. “They’ve had pockets of great success, obviously, the ’80s with coach [Dale] Brown.”
The Nashville, Tennessee native has experience in the NCAA Tournament, with back-to-back appearances at VCU, most recently earning a 10 seed and losing in the first round to St. Mary’s.
Wade likes to consider himself as someone who pays attention to the little things.
He keeps a tight schedule.
“Everyone I talked to said he gets up at four o’clock in morning,” said athletic director Joe Alleva. “He starts working at five and he works all the time. That’s what we need. We need someone who is going to work hard and somebody that’s going to work hard intelligently. And that’s what he can do.”
Wade comes from the school of “chaos,” which he learned under Texas coach Shaka Smart when he was Smart’s assistant coach for four seasons from 2009-13. The 34-year-old coach and his teams are also known for his high energy.
“We’re going to be enthusiastic,” Wade said. “We’re going to get after it every day. Every day is like we’re in overtime against Kentucky in the SEC Championship game. That’s how you have to work.”
“Chaos” employs an up-tempo, in-your-face style of play and predicates on turning defense into offense.
“A lot of defense is effort,” Wade said. “You gotta empty your tank … We’ll be a better defensive team.”
Last season, VCU ranked 37th in the country in adjusted defense per 100 possessions, according to KenPom’s rankings.
LSU ranked 283rd.
“We’re going to use our defense to create offense,” Wade said. “We just want to take the highest percentage shot we can. If we’re open, we’re going to shoot it quickly. We want to take great shots. The best shots are layups, free throws and three’s.”
Louisiana has just the players Wade needs to run his system, he said.
In fact, he isn’t a stranger to Louisiana. As a coach for Chattanooga and VCU, he’s signed a combined six players from Louisiana.
“The way we play and the athletes that we need, you can find them here in Louisiana,” Wade said. “They’re all over the place. You can find the type players of that we need in this system we run right here … We’re going to keep this thing close. If we can get the best players from Louisiana every year, we’re going to be in really good shape.”
Wade has set a high bar for himself. But with all the tools he has at LSU, he feels like he has no choice but to succeed.
“There is no option to fail,” Wade said. “We’re going to get it done.”

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Augustus Stark

LSU basketball coach Will Wade speaks during his introductory press conference on Wednesday, March 22, 2017, in the Student Union.