LSU has fired fourth-year coach Matt McMahon and is finalizing an agreement to rehire former Tigers coach Will Wade from N.C. State, a person with knowledge of the development told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because there has been no formal announcement from LSU or N.C. State.
Multiple reports of Wade’s impending return to LSU have been published.
The topic of Wade’s potential return to LSU had been churning
for weeks, enough so that Wade was ready with a response when asked about it after the Wolfpack’s loss to Virginia in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. That included noting that the job at the time wasn’t open, with McMahon — the permanent successor after Wade’s ouster — still in place.
“I was hired at NC State to do a job. This wasn’t going to take one year,” Wade said, then motioned toward Wolfpack athletic director Boo Corrigan at the back of the news-conference room. “I’ve already met with our administration about next year and some of the changes that we need to make and some of the things that we need to do to put this program where it deserves long-term.”
Exactly two weeks later, Wade was gone. The buyout in Wade’s six-year deal at N.C. State has a $5 million buyout that drops to $3 million after April 1.
Wade’s return to LSU would come four years after his firing there over allegations of money-fueled recruiting violations, which came amid a federal corruption investigation into the sport. Wade rebuilt his career with a two-year stint at McNeese that included 50 wins and two trips to March Madness.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
