Interim LSU head coach reveals surprising fact about Will Wade debacle

Kevin Nickelberry has taken over at the helm as the interim head coach for the LSU men’s basketball program after the school fired former head coach Will Wade. The news of his termination broke on Saturday just a day after he coached LSU in the SEC tournament against the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Tigers lost that game 79-67 which will go down as Wade’s final game as their head coach.

Wade was abruptly fired on Saturday after the school received a notice from the NCAA that they were investigating allegations of major rules violations. Wade is accused of five major rules violations, which include making cash payments and job offers to help lure recruits to LSU.

During an interview on Sunday, Nickelberry addressed the team’s expectations going forward and even shared what Wade’s parting message to the team was, or lack thereof. When asked whether Wade had spoken to the team since the news broke, Nickelberry had one simple reply.

“No,” said Nickelberry at LSU’s press conference for the upcoming NCAA tournament.

LSU is in the Midwest region of the bracket for the 2022 NCAA tournament, and face off against Iowa State in the Round of 64 in Milwaukee. A lot has happened over the past couple of days, but Nickelberry is ready to get LSU ready to play postseason basketball.

Paul Finebaum “will not ever coach another game in college”

LSU parted ways with head basketball coach Will Wade just days after the NCAA provided a Notice of Allegations against the program, and ESPN college analyst Paul Finebaum thinks that this could be the end for Wade at the college ranks.

Perhaps it’s understandable, given the depth of Wade’s violations. As a result, LSU may suffer from Wade’s infractions for several years to come. As it stands, it appears as though there at least eight total Level 1 violation allegations against LSU. Such a large failure to comply with NCAA rules could result in a postseason ban, loss of scholarships, or more. Finebaum believes that this should be the end of the road for his coaching career, despite Wade being just 39 years old.

“These are allegations, but they couldn’t be more serious,” Finebaum said. “When you throw around lack of institutional control, you throw around Level I violations — accusations of Level I — you’re talking about a real problem in an athletic department. Now, it goes way back. But to me, LSU has played the long game in this and they lost. They were hoping that somehow, they would be able to fade the heat and look the other way, and I think they were caught. As soon as they saw these allegations and as soon as Will Wade got home from the tournament, he was fired. He should’ve been fired before the tournament, quite frankly. I wouldn’t have let this guy coach another game once these allegations came in. They’ve got a lot to answer for. Nobody looks good down there. Three years ago, the conversation around Will Wade was all over, and LSU fans continued to defend him because he was a good basketball coach. He is a very good basketball coach, who I believe will not ever coach another game in college basketball based on these allegations.”