On the doorstep of the NCAA Tournament and on the heels of another round of allegations, LSU has fired head basketball coach Will Wade, according to multiple reports.
In the days after the school received a notice of allegations from the Independent Accountability Review Process – which is handling investigations of impropriety for the NCAA – LSU said goodbye to a coach who had led the Tigers to a 22-11 season that will finish in the NCAA Tournament.
This will be the second time that Wade has left the team before March Madness. He was suspended in 2019 for the SEC and NCAA tournaments after he was caught, through a federal wiretap, mentioning a “strong-ass offer” to a recruit.
The NCAA notice of allegations, which was obtained by ESPN, contains eight Level I violations against LSU. Seven of those are associated with the men’s basketball program and the other with the Tigers’ football team. Wade himself is accused of five Level I violations and one Level II. According to ESPN, LSU also fired assistant coach Bill Armstrong after he was accused of a Level I and Level II violation.
“I can’t comment on any of that stuff, so we haven’t been able to comment on it since everything started,” Wade told reporters after LSU’s loss to Arkansas in the SEC Tournament on Friday. “I certainly look forward to commenting when it’s all over, but until then, they won’t allow us to comment.”
Will Wade coaching LSU earlier this season. USA TODAY SportsWade had been embroiled in controversy for basically the duration of his five seasons in Baton Rouge. The federal investigation of LSU men’s basketball and Wade reportedly remains open and dates back to 2017.
According to documents ESPN uncovered in August 2020, the NCAA received information that Wade “arranged for, offered and/or provided impermissible payments, including cash payments, to at least 11 men’s basketball prospective student-athletes, their family members, individuals associated with the prospects and/or nonscholastic coaches in exchange for the prospects’ enrollment at LSU.”
Assistant coach Kevin Nickelberry reportedly will serve as the interim coach.
Wade finishes his career at LSU 108-53.
