Tucked away on the east coast and over 1,000 miles outside of Baton Rouge, LSU ventured to find its new basketball coach.
It found thirty-four year-old “dream maker” Will Wade.
“It’s a new day for LSU basketball,” Wade said. “I’m so excited about the opportunity to lead this program and LSU basketball back to the top of the SEC and back to regular consistent NCAA Tournament appearances. We’ve been to four Final Four’s and 20 NCAA Tournaments, we have 10 SEC Championships and we’re going to add to all three of those categories over my tenure.”
Wade recently coached at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he led the Rams to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2016 and 2017. He was an assistant coach at VCU under Shaka Smart when the Rams advanced to the Final Four in 2011.
Wade left his assistant coaching role at VCU in 2013 to become the coach at Chattanooga. He coached the Mocs to a 40-25 record in two years and was named the Southern Conference Coach of the Year in 2014.
LSU athletic director Joe Alleva spent five years on the NCAA Basketball Committee, and ended that tenure last year.
That’s where he found Wade.
“I got to watch coaches first-hand,” Alleva said. “I got to watch them practice. I got to watch them interview. I got to see them in stressful situations. I was part of discussions about teams and coaches. Through that process, Will Wade was always in my mind. I got to watch him firsthand. We are extremely, extremely honored, and it’s a pleasure to have him join the LSU team.”
Now Wade is determined to turn around a program that he thinks can rank at the top of the Southeastern Conference.
“I’ve taken over a couple of programs,” Wade said. “I took over a program at Chattanooga that needed to be retooled.”
While he might not be connected to any coaching trees, Wade credited Oliver Purnell, who he coached under at Clemson, as playing a big role in his career.
“He’s one of my huge mentors,” Wade said. “That’s what he has made a living out of. Rebuilding and retooling programs. I really looked at this as an opportunity to put my stamp on something.”
As far as recruiting, Wade plans to place an emphasis on keeping Louisiana first.
“The No. 1 priority is in-state,” Wade said. “That’s one reason that I’ve think this job aligns very well with me.”
The same approach will be taken for Wade’s coaching staff, one that he hopes to have filled within a few weeks.
April 6 opens the first live period of recruiting, and Wade hopes to have a full staff ready to hit the trail.
“We’re working on that,” Wade said. “You should see my cell phone. I’m going to take time and try to get the lay of the land here. I’ve been down here recruiting myself. We’re going to hire some guys with some Louisiana flavor.”
A key priority for Wade will be reaching out to this season’s leading scorer for LSU, sophomore guard Antonio Blakeney about returning to the Tigers for his junior year.
Blakeney averaged 17.2 points per game for LSU in the 2016-17 season and has the chance to be taken in the 2017 NBA Draft.
“I’m excited to meet with Antonio and talk to him,” Wade said. “I look forward to visiting with him and seeing where he is. I would never tell anybody that’s a first round NBA draft pick not to go to the NBA, but I also think that if you’re not, I think we have a ton to offer.”