Light the lanterns, arm the militias and make it known that the General has returned.
New LSU men’s basketball head coach Will Wade’s amped up attitude at his introductory press conference had the crowd ready to go to war for him. His confidence, growth and obvious excitement about being back at LSU shone through.
“I came here to win, and we’re gonna win immediately,” Wade said. “LSU and Louisiana deserve a winner, and that’s what we’re going to deliver. And we’re going to deliver that in short order.”
At each of his last two stops, Wade made it to the NCAA Tournament in his first year. He made it clear that it’s going to be the same now that he’s back at LSU, and he’s learned from his time at McNeese and NC State.
“You’re not getting the same coach you had four years ago,” Wade said. “These last four years have humbled and changed me. You’re getting a better coach, a better leader this time around.”
There was a clear excitement and eagerness about Wade on Monday. He spoke loudly, in a manner similar to a campaign speech as he energized the crowd with his vision.
There were a few hundred people in the PMAC to listen to his address. The press conference was open to the public, and fans showed up and loudly voiced support.
“I feel like we left the book open a little bit,” Wade said. “We left some chapters out there.”
The decision to come back to LSU was essentially made on March 25, Wade said, when he first had official talks of a return. It didn’t take him long to make a decision.
“This is home,” Wade said. “I wasn’t born in Louisiana, but Louisiana is home for me.”
While Wade touched on the past and the memories he had previously made on the PMAC, the future was still the focus.
“That highly competitive, winning program, I know what that looks like,” Wade said. “I’ve seen it, I’ve lived it and I know how to build it the right way.
Building it the right way starts with a roster, which Wade said will consist of “15 players that are willing to lay it on the line for us every night.” He said he met with five or six players from this past year’s team who still have eligibility left.
Some players without eligibility, like Jaden Bobbett and Marquel Sutton, were in attendance. Freshman Jalen Reece and redshirt junior Jalen Reed were also there. Reed is planning on entering the transfer portal, but is reportedly open to returning.
Wade called on his time at McNeese and how that will be useful to him in rebuilding LSU’s program.
“What we had at McNeese, we did it on a regional scale,” Wade said. “We can take the same formula with more resources and more support. We can take that and move that to LSU, and we can make us a national force.”
The buy-in and commitment from the university and administration helped bring Wade back home, he said. The university has him and the team ready to compete in the SEC and in the NCAA Tournament.
“I feel like we have a greater purpose with this program than anywhere I’ve ever been,” Wade said. “At the end of the day, that’s why I came back.”
With Wade’s hiring, LSU men’s basketball looks to take its place back as a top team in the SEC.
“We’re going to make history one way or the other,” Wade said. “[We’re going to] win a national championship, or I’m going to be the first coach fired from the same school twice. But one way or another, we’re going to make history.”
