Will Wade Returns to LSU Vowing to “Hang a Banner” or Become First Coach Fired Twice by Same School

Baton Rouge, La. – Will Wade strode back into the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Monday afternoon, greeted by cameras, boosters, and the unmistakable sense that a new era—built on the remnants of an old one—had begun for LSU men’s basketball.

Four years after his first tenure ended, Wade officially reclaimed the title of head coach, leaving NC State after a single season and returning to the program he once guided to 105 victories from 2017-22, including three 20-win campaigns.

“Make no mistake, this is home,” Wade told the assembled crowd. “I wasn’t born in Louisiana, but Louisiana’s home for me and my family. We’re coming back to make history. We’re going to hang a banner, win a national championship, or I’m going to be the first coach fired from the same school twice. One way or another, we’re going to make history.”

The 42-year-old acknowledged that the intervening years had altered his approach.

“These last four years have humbled me. It changed me. You’re getting a better coach, a better leader this time around,” he said. “I’ve got the same urgency, the same fight, but we’re going to be better.”

Wade’s immediate priority is roster reconstruction. With the transfer portal opening next Monday, he promised an aggressive pursuit of talent.

“We’re going to get in that portal and put together a winner, because everybody in here deserves a winner,” he said. “This is not something that’s going to take long. Our time is now.”

Administrative support, he insisted, will not be an issue.

“We’ve got a tremendous administration, tremendous people, and the resources we need to compete in the SEC,” Wade said. “It’s on me to get the job done.”

The return caps a March storyline that has dominated college basketball headlines and positions LSU to re-enter the national conversation just as quickly as Wade can assemble a roster.