2022 LSU Gumbo - Book - Page 18
Photos by Georgia Jones
After all the highs of the beginning of the season, all
the lows of conference play and all the uncertainty of
what this team could do leading up to the tournament,
the conclusion of this rocky season has left Tiger fans
with two feelings that no fan ever enjoys feeling—numb
disappointment and crippling uncertainty.
The conclusion of this season also marks the end of an
era for LSU men’s basketball: The Will Wade era, an era
that never reached its full potential.
Since LSU’s Final Four run in 2006, Tiger fans have gone
through disappointment after disappointment. That all
changed when Wade won his first SEC regular-season title
in just his second season, lighting a fire under the fanbase
and turning LSU on an apparent, exponential path upward.
That feeling of euphoria for LSU fans everywhere was
short-lived however, as Wade was almost immediately
found in the act of paying players. It seemed that was the
conclusion of it, as Wade was indefinitely suspended.
He was reinstated, but rather than adjusting his
recruiting habits, he continued to use the same aggressive
recruiting strategies that had provided his team with
success and controversy. After the investigation became the
centerpiece of discussion again, this time right before the
NCAA tournament, Wade was promptly fired.
He cheated, got caught and was not given a slap on
the wrist this time. But, what was the rush? I’m sure it
was due to pressure from the NCAA, but why couldn’t
this have waited until after LSU was eliminated from the
tournament? I doubt it would have made any difference.
LSU had an incredibly tough road to the Final Four and
hadn’t looked great heading into the tournament.
The biggest problem I have with this prompt firing
was how incredibly disruptive and morale-crushing it was
to an LSU team that could have had some success in the
tournament if they were to play to their potential, and how
unfair it was to the players who worked extremely hard to
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get where they were by the end of the season.
I’m not saying that Wade would have made a difference
against Iowa State, which played a tremendous game and
made the plays needed to win, but you must admit that
having the trusted and respected head coach could impact
a team’s performance, especially in terms of energy and
motivation. Not to mention the team tended to feed on
Wade’s fiery energy throughout each game.
In a way, this team was the one that most embodied
Wade himself—an aggressive, strategic team that could
really do some damage with the right motivation or really
struggle if the aggression got in the way. The team may have
lacked the NBA-talent and offensive ability of other teams,
but its gritty nature is what earned it a six-seed in the
tournament. The team also featured its first four-year player
under Wade, a player that likely had more trust and respect
for the coach than anyone: Darius Days.
Did Days’ final game have to be marred by his coach being
stripped from the Tigers? I don’t think so, but the NCAA is
the NCAA, and they must establish a scapegoat at any cost.
They are not going to consider how that affects individual
players at the end of the day.
Wade’s checkered tenure with the program was filled
with many bumps and bruises along the way, but it was so
much fun while it lasted. Personally, I have never enjoyed
watching LSU basketball more than this and I wonder if I
ever will.
At the end of the day, this was a matter of when and not
if, but you can’t help but wonder what could have been if
Wade was given a few more seasons. How many Elite Eights
and Final Fours did the Tigers miss out on?
You can argue all day that Wade was just doing what
he could to compete with a league of coaches that are
potentially doing the same thing, but it won’t magically
bring Wade back. Cheating in the world of sports might
happen regularly but getting caught is never, ever an option.