Wade wants to awaken ‘a sleeping giant’

More than 15 years ago, a Big Ten coach arrived at LSU and brought the football program to heights never seen previously.

In a five-year span, coach Nick Saban led the Tigers to two Southeastern Conference titles and one national championship. Saban turned LSU football into an elite program.

There is no doubt that Saban saw the unlimited potential of the Tigers football organization, to borrow one of his terms.

On Wednesday, Will Wade was introduced as the new LSU head basketball coach. Wade has similar feelings about the Tigers basketball program as Saban had about the football program.

“As you go through coaching, you ask why haven’t certain schools been able to do it consistently,” Wade said. “I identified LSU as a sleeping giant. I know LSU can be successful and will be successful. We are going to go in the right direction and make it work.

“I am so excited about leading LSU back to the top of the SEC. We are going to make regular NCAA tournament appearances. LSU has been in four Final Fours, won 10 SEC titles and made 20 NCAA tournament appearances. We are going to add to all three categories during our tenure here.”

Wade exudes confidence, energy and passion. He may be only 34 years old, but he understands what is necessary for LSU to become a winning program. Wade’s introductory press conference was held at the LSU Student Union – an obvious attempt to get the students involved in the basketball program.

“We are going to recruit student-athletes, recruit fans and recruit students,” Wade said. “Everything is in alignment to get this turned around from the AD to the athletic department to the commitment to resources. There is no option to fail. We’re going to make it happen and it’s going to take everybody.”

Wade displayed the ability to communicate in his 25-minute press conference Wednesday. None of the three previous LSU basketball coaches was at ease in front of a microphone – John Brady, Trent Johnson or Johnny Jones.

One only needs to look no further than the personality of three of LSU’s most successful coaches – Saban, Dale Brown and Skip Bertman. All three of those individuals could captivate a room with their words. Wade has the foundation to be able to do the same.

Wade repeated what the culture of the Tigers basketball program will now be – hard work and effort. There will be no sitting back as regards LSU basketball under Wade.

“Our culture will be based on acting the right way all the time,” Wade said. “We are going to be aggressive and committed. We are going to attack the day. We are going to attack our basketball time. We are going to attack the weight room.

“We will empty our tanks every night. We will be on ‘E’ or empty. It will be all-out all the time. Teams may beat us, but they will know they will be in for a ten-round fight. We’re going to be a tough out for people. That’s our identity.”

Wade intends to play up-tempo on the offensive end of the floor and pressure defense on the other end of the court. LSU has been a poor defensive team under Jones the past two seasons. One would expect that trend to change with Wade in charge.

“We will play fast on offense,” Wade said. “We’ll attack inside. We’ll go inside-out on 3s. We’ll use a lot of ball screens like the NBA. We will be even more aggressive defensively. We will guard every floorboard for 94 feet. We will rub the other team’s offense with our pressure.

“Defense plays a huge role in winning. A lot of defense is effort. You have to go all out. You may make mistakes on defense, but you can make up for it by going all out.”

Wade recruited Louisiana during his time at Chattanooga and Virginia Commonwealth. He knows the type of basketball player in the state.

“Our No. 1 priority in recruiting will be in-state,” Wade said. “With the way we play, there are athletes who fit that style all over (Louisiana). Then, Houston is just four hours away. If we get the best players in Louisiana every year, we’ll be in good shape.

“We want to recruit the best players who want to come to LSU. We want players who will do what they can to make LSU a winner and lay it on the line for LSU.”

Wade knows something about the Tigers’ personnel since VCU beat them 85-73 last November in the Battle 4 Atlantis. Wade met with the players Wednesday afternoon following his press conference. He admitted that he had a relationship with a couple of the players.

“I am going to tell the players that I’m going to love you up,” Wade said. “I will be there for you. I am also going to coach you very hard. They must handle the details, handle the small things. I want to get that point across to them.”

Wade intends to have his staff completed by the first week of April when coaches can go back on the road to recruit. Wade acknowledged that he will hire some assistants with a “Louisiana flavor.”

It was obvious that Wade is convinced that LSU can be a challenger to Kentucky and Florida in the SEC.

“Everybody wants to go to the NCAA tournament, but only a select few can,” Wade said. “LSU is somewhere you can build a consistent winner. I thought that for a long time. There is a ton of untapped potential. LSU has had pockets of success. We want to build a consistent winner.”