LSU’s men’s basketball season opens Nov. 3 with a roster that looks nothing like a typical college team - and Will Wade has made no secret that building it has taken some work.
Since returning to coach the Tigers for the first time since 2022, Wade has leaned hard into an international-heavy, pro-heavy rebuild. LSU’s 14-man roster features three international players, 10 transfers and two walk-ons, with the group built around a mix of older guards, overseas pieces and newcomers trying to get eligible in time.
That eligibility fight has been one of the central headaches of the preseason.
“We’ve had to work through the eligibility stuff,” Wade said. “That part’s certainly been a challenge.”
One roster spot that was in play belonged to RJ Luis Jr., the former St. John’s player who went undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft before signing a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz and an Exhibit 10 deal with the Boston Celtics. On Oct. 20, he was officially denied eligibility by the SEC.
LSU’s backcourt, though, already has two experienced transfers who have become the focus of the preseason discussion: Donovan Dent and Skyy Clark. Both are 5th-year senior UCLA transfers, and both were recently ruled eligible by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Beth A.R. McGowen.
Their cases trace back to the NCAA’s age-based eligibility model, the 5-for-5 rule, which says athletes get five years to compete in five seasons after enrolling in university or turning 19. That’s a shift from the original setup, which allowed only four seasons in five years.
Even with the legal wrangling, both guards have already shown what they can bring. Dent played in all three LSU exhibition games and averaged 19 points per game. Clark appeared in the final exhibition against Florida State and scored 21 points in his first game as a Tiger, hitting 7 of 13 shots.
“They’re [a] great backcourt, great players, and so we’re excited to have them,” Wade said.
LSU wrapped up its exhibition slate by going 2-1 against McNeese, UCF and Florida State over the last month. The Tigers saw different rotations and different scoring bursts along the way, including a strong showing from transfer senior guard Abdi Bashir Jr., who came off the bench in the final exhibition in place of Clark.
Bashir Jr. opened slowly in the first game, shooting 1-for-12, but he bounced back against UCF with a team-high 26 points on 10-for-17 shooting.
Freshman center Michael Ruzic was also steady throughout preseason play, posting two 15-point games and one 11-point game.
Other names that surfaced in exhibition action included freshman forward Jordan Bender, freshman center Strake Pearson and junior guard Divine Ugochukwu, who had started before Niang and Clark were cleared.
The Tigers’ rotation has varied from game to game. Wade used only seven players against McNeese and six against UCF, then expanded to eight players in the Florida State game.
Off the court, Wade’s recruiting approach has drawn sharp criticism from fans, the SEC and even parents. Rafer Alston, the former NBA player and father of 2027 5-star recruit Reese Alston, publicly blasted Wade’s tactics.
“I’m disgusted by how this whole process has played out,” Alston told Z Smart Hoops. “Will Wade has operated in a disgusting manner.”
Alston has also threatened legal action, saying Wade continued to pursue Reese after being told weeks earlier to stop.
Wade has said he’ll make high school recruiting a priority in future seasons, but his attention right now is on the group he has in place and getting to opening night ready.
“I feel like we’re moving down the track where on Nov. 3 we’re going to be clear and ready to go,” Wade said.
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Reese Alstons recruitment, though, has carried an extra layer of intrigue because of the public comments from his father, former NBA guard Rafer Alston, about LSU coach Will Wade. With those tensions hanging over the process, the Tigers are waiting to see whether the appeal of the program outweighs the noise around it, and Thursday should provide a clear answer on just how strong LSUs position really is. [Read more 🡒]
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What makes the discussion even trickier is how much the selection process may end up rewarding timing as much as record. If LSUs losses come early and its best head-to-head results land late, the Tigers could be judged very differently than another team with the same number in the loss column. It is the sort of SEC debate that can feel absurd in September and absolutely central by the time the bracket is drawn. [Read more 🡒]