When Will Wade left LSU, the basketball team never really recovered. Many disappointing seasons followed, but now there is hope back in the program. Wade returned to Baton Rouge, and with a roster that needed major work throughout, he had to get creative.
In the transfer portal, Wade and LSU have been at the forefront of getting international players. Many in college basketball have viewed these moves as disgraceful and as going against the game, but Wade is breaking no rules. LSU needed to improve its roster, and without any real sway with the top players in the portal, going in a different direction made sense.
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This offseason, LSU brought in a mix of current college basketball and international basketball players: Abdi Bashir, Divine Ugochukwu, Mouhamed Dioubate, Austin Nunez, RJ Luis, Saliou Niang, Michael Ruzic, Marcio Santos, and Brice Dessert.
The Tigers’ roster is completely changed, but it still looks incomplete. It was always going to be difficult for LSU to build a competitive roster right away, but the combination of Wade and the older international players could surprise some next season. Still, this is a short-term fix for a long-term project.
This season must be looked at as a rebuilding one, so if the Tigers miss March Madness, it wouldn’t be a crazy outcome. Again, with the new pieces, they may have a chance to reach the postseason, but it’s still unlikely.
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