LSU has hired Will Wade to be the new head men’s basketball coach. Wade leaves VCU after two seasons and two NCAA Tournament berths with the Rams. Prior to VCU, Wade spent two seasons as the head coach at Chattanooga.
Following the firing of previous coach Johnny Jones, LSU embarked on a national search to find a head coach that could consistently have the Tigers back in the NCAA Tournament. While young, Wade is a proven winner. He’s 91-45 (.669) in four seasons as a head coach and is yet to finish below 2nd in his conference. He also won a game in last year’s tournament, something LSU has not done since 2009.
Wade is the latest young VCU head coach to leave for a power 5 job. He follows his former boss Shaka Smart (Texas), Anthony Grant (Alabama) and Jeff Capel III (Oklahoma). It was figured that Wade would be a frontrunner to take over at his alma mater, Clemson, this offseason, but the Tigers elected to keep Brad Brownell on for another year (though there are rumors that Wade was offered and turned down the position).
Looking ahead, one would figure that VCU would continue to hire from within the family. Former Rams assistant and current Rice head coach Mike Rhoades will likely be a favorite for the job. Other former VCU assistants currently working as head coaches include Jamion Christian, Mike Jones, John Brannen and Allen Edwards.
