Link LSU has fired basketball coach Will Wade for cause, the school announced Saturday. The development comes the same week that the Tigers received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA stemming from alleged rules violations committed during Wade's five-year tenure. Associate head coach Bill Armstrong was also fired. The school named assistant coach Kevin Nickelberry as the interim coach. Nickelberry is a former head coach at Hampton and Howard. The Tigers are a projected No. 6 seed for the NCAA Tournament, according to CBS Sports Bracketology Expert Jerry Palm. "After receiving the Notice earlier this week, we took several days to fully evaluate it and engage in deliberate and thoughtful discussions about our next steps," LSU athletic director Scott Woodward and president William Tate IV said in a statement. "We can no longer subject our University, Department of Athletics, and—most importantly—our student-athletes, to this taxing and already-lengthy process without taking action. Our responsibility to protect and promote the integrity and well-being of our entire institution and our student-athletes will always be paramount." The school's case is being handled by the IARP process, an independent body designed to handle complicated NCAA violations cases. Wade was suspended in March 2019 from his post as LSU's coach after reports from a wiretapped conversation revealed he discussed a "strong-ass" offer to a recruit, who was later identified as JaVonte Smart. The notice of allegations alleges that "Wade's conduct was deliberate and committed after substantial planning" and details how he offered financial inducements to secure commitments from players. As it pertains to Armstrong, the NOA alleges that "Wade condoned, participated in or negligently disregarded the conduct of Armstrong in the recruitment of a potential student-athlete." LSU went 105-51 (55-33 SEC) under Wade's direction in five seasons. The 39-year old former Chattanooga and VCU coach was suspended in 2019 when the Tigers reached the Sweet 16, which was their deepest postseason run during his tenure. However, he was reinstated shortly after the season after he "answered all questions and denied any wrongdoing in connection with recently reported allegations of irregularities in college basketball recruiting," according to an LSU statement at the time. Wade's dismissal comes four-and-a-half years after an FBI crackdown on corruption in college basketball that ensnared programs across the country. Most of the head coaches involved have kept their jobs even through the turmoil, even as some of their assistants have been hit with show-cause penalties by the NCAA.
Wade and one of his Assistant Coaches also fired and these allegations have nothing to do with the Title 9 investigation currently under way there.
Back at the beginning, I also claimed this would happen, since the FBI actually had some investigating power, unlike the NCAA. Of course, this amount of silence definitely had my confidence shaken. Glad to see that, while the gears of justice were slow, the NCAA didn’t totally fail here.
LSU will likely spend big $$$ to make a splash hire. LSU coaching search: Brad Underwood, Scott Drew, Buzz Williams among possible candidates to replace Will Wade
Well, THAT was unexpected. Not that it ended with his firing but how quick it happened. As I said, LSU went all-in. They think this reversal is going to reset their stakes?
…… “Our responsibility to protect and promote the integrity and well-being of our entire institution and our student-athletes will always be paramount." LSU integrity? Now that right there is funny. I don’t care who you are.
