LSU is heading to a likely berth as a top-half seed in the NCAA Tournament, but Saturday’s events rained on that parade a bit. The school fired fifth-year basketball coach Will Wade, who finished his tenure in Baton Rouge at 105-51 with a Sweet 16 appearance in Year 2 as his deepest postseason run.
The news came just days after LSU received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA citing Wade for several Level I violations. Per his contract, that could permit the administration to fire him for cause.
Wade will not coach the Tigers in March Madness, and neither will associate head coach Bill Armstrong, who was also fired. Instead, assistant Kevin Nickelberry takes over as the interim coach.
Nickelberry is a veteran of the sport with a career spanning more than three decades. LSU athletics director Scott Woodward will likely look for a more established coach to take the full-time role, but a deep tournament run could certainly make an impression on the powers that be.
With that in mind, here’s a rundown of Nickelberry’s background.