Will Wade and the LSU Tigers Put the State of College Basketball Under Attack
The state of college basketball as a whole is in major danger after the latest move by Will Wade and the LSU Tigers.
On Tuesday, they announced that RJ Luis Jr. is the latest member to join the Tigers. In a vacuum, that's a fine move for the Tigers. In the context of the situation, this is ridiculous.
Luis Jr. was the 2025 Big East Player of the Year for the St. John's Johnnies. He then declared for the NBA Draft, went undrafted, and signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz.
He was then a part of a trade package that sent him to Boston, where he appeared in four preseason games for Boston. He was waived by the C's and then signed to their G-League affiliate, the Maine Celtics.
He never appeared in a game for the G-League Celtics and had groin surgery before he was ultimately waived.
If this sounds like a player that would be considered an "NBA player," it's because he was one. Now, he is trying to go back to play for the LSU Tigers.
College athletics are in such a horrible spot because of situations like this. Coaches like Will Wade are just operating on the assumption that they don't have any rules, since no one will hold them accountable.
It puts teams and programs like Ohio State at a major disadvantage from a competition standpoint. Teams that try to keep it between the lines and operate in good faith with their recruits and transfers are ultimately left in the dust because they aren't going after former NBA players to join their roster.
For the schools that have the funding to do it, they will. Universities that don't have a never-ending well will be caught fighting an even more uphill battle.
Furthermore, there is no such thing as a never-ending well. There is an end to everything. The funding will run out someday, and when it does, who is going to be caught holding the bag?
The future of the sport is hanging in the balance. Who would have known that creating a business model that has literally no restrictions or guardrails could spiral out of control like this? We all have a front row seat to the decline of college athletics.
The sad part is that everyone knows what's happening, everyone can see it, and everyone can see that there is a certain end in sight.
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