Former LSU basketball coach [autotag]Will Wade[/autotag] is back on the sideline, remaining in Louisiana and leading McNeese State.
Wade was fired by LSU in March of 2022 after LSU received its notice of allegations from the NCAA. That trouble led McNeese to suspend Wade the first nine games of this season, but it now looks to be in the rearview mirror for the polarizing coach.
At a press conference on Friday morning, Wade was candid on his feelings regarding the NCAA. Spoiler alert: He’s not a fan.
“Legally, a lot of what the NCAA does it just flat illegal, I’ve learned that,” Wade said.
“There’s a reason they’re trying to get anti-trust exemption from Congress. They just need to blow the whole thing up and come back with a new model.”
Wade added the NCAA needs to engage in collective bargaining with the players and said until that happens, the NCAA will continue to get “smacked in court.”
Will Wade did NOT hold anything back in regards to the NCAA, the transfer portal, NIL, and much more this morning.
Here's one clip, the full press conference is below pic.twitter.com/PbaL0HqIli
— Matthew Travis (@MatthewJTravis_) December 15, 2023
This is a strong statement from Wade, who’s no stranger to NCAA controversy. At LSU, seven Level I allegations were levied against Wade’s program.
Despite leading LSU to three NCAA tournament appearances, he was only able to coach in one of them due to his suspension in 2019 and his firing in 2022.
Despite all that, Wade seems to be on to something with the NCAA as this remains an era of radical change for the sport.
McNeese is 9-2 and ranked in the KenPom top 100.
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