LSU Tiger’s men’s basketball coach Will Wade gave fans a reason to breathe a sigh of relief on Tuesday when he spoke to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein.
Will Wade plans to lean heavily into the international market for players.https://t.co/c9JLel3odd (Apple)https://t.co/EsZxIkcHSA (Spotify)https://t.co/fJrlprce4Q (YouTube) pic.twitter.com/Whaf4coqqZ
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— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 5, 2026
As of publication, Kentucky transfer Mo Dioubate is the only player officially listed on LSU’s roster, but Wade said the team is working with a number of players behind the scenes.
“Low volume in terms of what you guys know,” Wade said. “We got seven or eight guys, so we’re not too worried. We’ve got some good guys. Look, for a bunch of reasons, we’re not announcing things.”
In the new era of both NIL and the robust transfer portal, Wade clarified that LSU is relying heavily on international prospects for their recruiting.
“This year, I’m going to lean a little heavier on the international route,” Wade said. “This is the last year that a lot of kids over there are going to be eligible, some of the older kids… because of the clock issues, this will be the last year some of those guys are going to be eligible.”
He went on to tell Rothstein that depth can be valuable, but that the Tigers won’t fill out the roster with too many expensive players.
“Depth is really important for practice. It’s not as important for games when you’re only playing seven or eight guys, nine max. And so we had some dead money on the roster. So one thing I’m focusing on here is we’re really going to pay seven or eight guys at LSU this year.”
The current landscape of college basketball is wildly unpredictable, so it’s hard to guess how LSU’s roster will look on opening day. One thing is certain, the Tigers are doing more work on their roster than what we can see on the surface.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
