LSU fired basketball coach Will Wade on Saturday less than 24 hours after its NCAA Tournament Tigers were eliminated from the SEC tournament, opening up one of the best and toughest jobs in the current coaching market.
The Tigers program has massive resources, recent success, and athletic director Scott Woodward, who is not afraid—and often succeeds—in chasing big names to fill vacancies in other sports. (See: Brian Kelly in football, Kim Mulkey in women’s basketball.) But convincing a candidate to lead the program is likely to be difficult. Wade’s resignation was not due to bad luck on the court, but because of allegations of wrongdoing off the court. Just last week, the school reportedly received a long-awaited notice of allegations of recruitment violations and other offenses related to the FBI scandal under Wade. So whoever gets this job will almost certainly take on a harsh punishment from the NCAA.
How good LSU is under normal circumstances and how good it is under current circumstances are two completely different questions, and the answers to them will determine what type of coach he will aim for and what type of coach he may end up getting. Maybe the big-name candidate might still be in the game. However, with the NCAA cloud hanging over the program, a new coach may want to get some serious guarantees in a clause-laden contract in case he faces harsh penalties, potential post-season suspension or other sanctions.
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The complex nature of the job as currently presented, combined with Woodward’s bold story, makes the pool of applicants a real guessing game. Thus, in order to recognize the challenges the program faces and Woodward’s willingness to go after anyone, as well as the limitless resources of LSU, we have divided our list of candidates below into two different categories.
Big fish
Brad Underwood, coach from Illinois: Underwood seems to have found himself in Illinois, where he is about to take the Illini to their second NCAA Tournament a year after his team took first place in the Big Dance. However, Underwood was also a great fit for Oklahoma State, and he quickly left the Cowboys after one season over a bigger paycheck and the promise of more commitment to the basketball program. LSU can probably offer both. The 58-year-old could really make money if he wanted to become one of the best tacticians in the sport, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he stayed where he is now that he really has a program up and running, including recruiting.
Scott Drew, Baylor Coach: The Baylor program was marred by controversy when Scott Drew took over in 2003. The previous coach, Dave Bliss, resigned amid controversy after a player killed a former teammate. What Drew did is nothing short of a miracle; The Bears are now a permanent force in the Big 12. He is a builder and also a restorer. If he wants another project with a good salary, LSU might be tempting. But Baylor ends the season when he wins the national championship, and he seems to be doing well at Baylor. It will most likely take top 5 money to pull him away from the Bears, and even that may not be enough.
Bill Self, Kansas coach: Kansas is in the midst of its own ongoing case with the NCAA, and Self could also face punishment after being indicted. A change of scenery to land yet another troubled program is probably not the best option for the highest paid coach in college. However, two difficult situations with a lot of moving pieces. If you are Woodward, you call even if Self hangs up abruptly.
Buzz Williams, Texas A&M coach: Woodward hired Williams at Texas A&M just a few weeks before he was hired at LSU, so there’s an obvious connection here. Also, Williams’ stock is up again as he took Aggie to the SEC Tournament title game. Past ties to Williams, combined with his Texas A&M coup, make him a viable candidate.
Mike White, Florida Coach: Since coming to Florida in 2015, White has led the Gators to a 142-88 record, has appeared in four NCAA Tournaments and moved up to the Elite Eight. Objectively speaking, he was successful. But he wasn’t the successful Billy Donovan, and the Gators fan base seemed to have lost patience with him. LSU could potentially offer a soft landing if it decides to find another job, and his past statewide success as a coach at Louisiana Tech, where he was 101-40 from 2011 to 2015, gives hope he can once again. do it again in The Boot with much more resources than La. Tech.
Other possible options
Dennis Gates, Cleveland State Coach: Gates is one of the hottest candidates for mid-level coaches in the sport. He’s already amassed a wealth of assistant coaching experience in Florida, California, northern Illinois, and Nevada, and at 42, he’s established himself as a head coach in Cleveland. In his three seasons with the program, he compiled a 50-39 record and was named Horizon League Coach of the Year twice.
Jerome Tang, Baylor coach: If LSU can’t get Scott Drew, then perhaps he can turn to the Drew coaching tree for longtime assistant Jerome Tang, who deserves the opportunity to become head coach if he so desires. Tang was Drew’s assistant for 19 seasons and played a huge role in recruiting and rebuilding the Bears program from its Big 12 doldrums.
Andy Kennedy, UAB coach: A former SEC mainstay as Ole Miss coach from 2006 to 2018, Kennedy could have secured a solid LSU title after resurrecting a career leading the UAB for the past two seasons. Kennedy is 48-14 with the Blazers and left the Rebels with a winning record (245-156). He can coach and combined with the resources of LSU he is likely to have great success.
Mike Rhodes, VCU Coach: Rhoades may be in the spotlight in Georgia after his work opened this week with the firing of Tom Crean. However, working at LSU is a clear step forward, even if it faces sanctions from the NCAA. Whether or not LSU will hire another VCU coach after Wade’s fate is unclear, but Rhodes doesn’t have the NCAA issues hanging over his head like his predecessor did, and since replacing Wade in 2017, he’s racked up a 101-51 record with the Rams.