After all the highs of the beginning of the season, all the lows of conference play and all the uncertainty of what this team could do leading up to the tournament, the conclusion of this rocky season has left Tiger fans with two feelings that no fan ever enjoys feeling—numb disappointment and crippling uncertainty. 

The conclusion of this season also marks the end of an era for LSU men’s basketball: The Will Wade era, an era that never reached its full potential.  

Since LSU’s Final Four run in 2006, Tiger fans have gone through disappointment after disappointment, and the fandom was nowhere near where it had been in the 1990s. That all changed when Wade won his first SEC regular-season title in just his second season, lighting a fire under the fanbase and turning LSU on an apparent, exponential path upward.  

That feeling of euphoria for LSU fans everywhere was short-lived however, as Wade was almost immediately found in the act of paying players. It seemed that was the conclusion of it, as Wade was indefinitely suspended and could potentially lose his head coaching job. 

He was reinstated, but rather than adjusting his recruiting habits, he continued to use the same aggressive recruiting strategies that had provided his team with success and controversy. After the investigation became the centerpiece of discussion again, this time right before the NCAA tournament, Wade was promptly fired.  

I completely understand that. He cheated, got caught and was not given a slap on the wrist this time.  

No amount of “everyone is doing it” claims are going to reinstate him into the program, and while that is mightily disappointing for a fandom that was gaining steam with each game, it is justified at the end of the day. 

But, what was the rush? 

I’m sure it was due to pressure from the NCAA, but why couldn’t this have waited until after LSU was eliminated from the tournament? 

I doubt it would have made any difference. LSU had an incredibly tough road to the Final Four and hadn’t looked great heading into the tournament.  

Did their recent investigations really pull that much dirt out of Wade to where this was necessary? 

The biggest problem I have with this prompt firing was how incredibly disruptive and morale-crushing it was to an LSU team that could have had some success in the tournament if they were to play to their potential, and how unfair it was to the players who worked extremely hard to get where they were by the end of the season. 

I’m not saying that Wade would have made a difference against Iowa State, which played a tremendous game and made the plays needed to win, but you must admit that having the trusted and respected head coach could impact a team’s performance, especially in terms of energy and motivation. Not to mention the team tended to feed on Wade’s fiery energy throughout each game.  

In a way, this team was the one that most embodied Wade himself—an aggressive, strategic team that could really do some damage with the right motivation or really struggle if the aggression got in the way. The team may have lacked the NBA-talent and offensive ability of other teams, but its gritty nature is what earned it a six-seed in the tournament. The team also featured its first four-year player under Wade, a player that likely had more trust and respect for the coach than anyone: Darius Days. 

Did Days’ final game have to be marred by his coach being stripped from the Tigers? 

I don’t think so, but the NCAA is the NCAA, and they must establish a scapegoat at any cost. They are not going to consider how that affects individual players at the end of the day.  

Wade’s checkered tenure with the program was filled with many bumps and bruises along the way, but it was so much fun while it lasted. Personally, I have never enjoyed watching LSU basketball more than this and I wonder if I ever will.

At the end of the day, this was a matter of when and not if, but you can’t help but wonder what could have been if Wade was given a few more seasons. How many Elite Eights and Final Fours did the Tigers miss out on? 

You can argue all day that Wade was just doing what he could to compete with a league of coaches that are potentially doing the same thing, but it won’t magically bring Wade back. Cheating in the world of sports might happen regularly but getting caught is never, ever an option.  

Just ask the Astros.