03/26/26 11:43:00
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03/26 11:41 CDT LSU fires men's basketball coach coach Matt McMahon, is
finalizing agreement to rehire Will Wade
LSU fires men's basketball coach coach Matt McMahon, is finalizing agreement to
rehire Will Wade
By BRETT MARTEL
AP Sports Writer
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
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