Will Wade confident in LSU despite unconventional offseason and roster questions
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LSU coach Will Wade said Tuesday he isn’t concerned about his program’s “unconventional approach” for the upcoming season, though he is still awaiting clarity on which players he will actually have available.
Among those players is RJ Luis, a St. John’s transfer who spent time with two NBA teams and is not yet on the roster. A Louisiana court in August gave Luis clearance to play, but Wade said all Southeastern Conference protocols — which includes a ban on former pro players — are being followed. The issue last month led to a dispute between LSU and the SEC involving the Tigers’ football program.
The Tigers spent much of the offseason with just four players on the roster while eligibility concerns swirled around several players, including Luis, UCLA transfers Donovan Dent, Skyy Clark and several international players.
LSU’s four-man roster increased to 10 ahead of the Tigers’ exhibition game against McNeese on Oct. 8. Starters Michael Ruzic, Mouhamed Dioubate, Abdi Bashir Jr., Dent, Divine Ugochukwu, and freshmen reserves Jordan Bender and Strake Pearson all played in the 63-60 win. Ruzic, one of four international players Wade brought in this recruiting cycle, was declared eligible right before tipoff.
“We had the guys eligible for the McNeese scrimmage on Thursday. We’ve got another scrimmage tomorrow, and we anticipate having a few more guys tomorrow than we had at McNeese,” Wade told the SEC Network. “So, we’ll keep building this thing as we get towards (the regular-season opener) Nov. 3.”
Wade, who was rehired as Tigers coach in March after a four-year hiatus, wasn’t able to attend SEC Media Days in Birmingham ; both LSU teams were forced to cancel due to heavy fog and low visibility.
Though some questions remain, Wade said he has a good sense of who will be available this season.
“We’ve got a pretty good idea of who we’re going to play. We’ve got a pretty good idea of who is eligible,” he said. “We’re pretty secure in who we are, and we’re pretty secure in what we’re doing, and look, we’ll see how it all shakes out.”
Wade compared his program’s offseason approach to Uber and Airbnb, two once untraditional models that later went mainstream.
A shaky Tigers team was picked to finish 14th in the SEC this season. Despite remaining uncertainty, Wade thinks his team will be better than expected.
“There’s nobody at the bottom of the league that’s an easy game. We hope that we’re not going to be an easy game,” he said. “We feel very confident with the guys that we have … With our full roster, we’ve got a puncher’s chance in most games.”
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