The LSU Tigers may have backed down from going to war over eligibility rules on the football side of things, but it remains full speed ahead for the basketball team as they pursue a controversial strategy.
Wade has brought in numerous players as transfers this summer who played professionally in Europe or signed two-way NBA contracts last season. The LSU coach has basically built his entire lineup on those players, and is gambling that the players in question will be eligible to play.
Wade said Wednesday that his strategy was “unconventional,” but that does not necessarily mean it would be unsuccessful.
“What we’re doing is unconventional. I understand that,” Wade said. “20 years ago, Airbnb was unconventional. Everybody stayed in a hotel. 15 years ago you rode in a taxi everywhere. Now you take Uber. Just because it’s unconventional doesn’t mean it’s not going to work. It may not work. If it doesn’t work, write about what an idiot I am. I understand that.
“I told our guys we’re going to be unconventional. We’re going to be unapologetic about it. This is who we are. This is what we’re doing. This is the path that we charted. We’re going to go down it, and that’s fine. I get it. When you do stuff that’s unconventional, everybody’s waiting for us to fail. That’s fine. If we fail, I own it. But I felt this is the best way to try to deliver a championship team for LSU from the jump that gives us the best chance to jumpstart our program. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong. I’ll take it and we’ll restart next year.”
Here's his full quote. Well worth the watch on Will Wade's thought process for building this 2026-27 LSU team: https://t.co/81IUjDCQzS pic.twitter.com/mG5J9kmNTD
— Glen West (@glenwest21) September 23, 2026
Wade pursued his strategy before football counterpart Lane Kiffin tried and ultimately failed to do something similar with undrafted NFL players. He ultimately backed down in part because the SEC threatened LSU with expulsion.
Unlike Kiffin, Wade is dug in quite deeply. If he backs down from his strategy, he essentially will not have a competitive roster for the upcoming season. His methods have drawn widespread criticism, but he is committed, even if it winds up backfiring on him.
