Will Wade – Recruiter Of The Freakin’ World – Adds Center From France Playing In Spain To LSU-International Tigers

By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor

Spanning the globe … to bring you the constant variety … of overseas pro basketball players … back to school … for sport.

Yes, World Travelin’ Man Will Wade, the men’s basketball coach at LSU-I – Louisiana State University International – is globetrotting for players.

LSU already has Lane “Portal King” Kiffin for football. Now it has Will “World King” Wade.

Wade, who started with zero players on his roster shortly after taking over the LSU job in March, now has 10, possibly. And five are pro players not from the United States.

On Wednesday, Wade got his sixth player since Monday – 7-foot center Michael Ruzic, who was born in France to parents from Croatia and plays for Joventut Badalona, a pro club team in Catalonia, Spain.

Source: International prospect Michael Ruzic has committed to LSU.

The 7-footer has been on NBA Draft boards for the past few seasons and should add both size and skill up front in Baton Rouge.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 20, 2026

Ruzic’s father was a professional basketball player overseas and his mother was one of the greatest volleyball players from Croatia. Ruzic, who played as a youth in Croatia, committed to Wade.

On Tuesday, Wade gained a commitment from 6-6 forward Saliou Niang, who plays for Virtus Bologna in Italy. He is from Dakar, Senegal in West Africa and moved to Italy as a 2-year-old.

Also on Tuesday, 7-foot center Brice Dessert, who is from France and plays for Andalou Efes in Turkey, committed to the Tigers, as did 6-3 point guard Yam Madar, who plays for Hapoelin in Tel Aviv, Israel, and is from Beit Dagan, Israel.

A previous commitment on May 6 and the fifth from overseas was center Marcio Santos, a pro player in Tel Aviv, Israel, who is from Brazil.

Will Wade’s Wild West International roster approaching double figures, but eligibility police in hot pursuit:https://t.co/FWOO4re9ry

— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) May 20, 2026

Also on a busy Tuesday of this week, Wade signed 6-7 guard/forward RJ Luis, an All-American and Big East Player of the Year in 2024-25 at St. John’s. Luis, who is from Miami and played in high school in Lanham, Maryland, is Wade’s best addition, if he can get him eligible. He averaged 18.2 points and 7.2 rebounds at St. John’s for coach Rick Pitino, but there could be legal issues.

Luis signed an NBA contract with Utah Jazz after going undrafted in 2025 and was traded to the Boston Celtics, who sent him to their G League Maine Celtics team. But Luis never played in a professional game, which is central to LSU’s hopes of getting Luis on the floor.

Wade will be trying to get Luis and his other overseas players eligible for the 2026-27 season.

On Monday, Wade got his first of six players this week the more conventional way – via the transfer portal – when he gained a commitment from guard Austin Nunez of Texas-San Antonio. Nunez is from San Antonio, Texas.

Other previous portal commitments were guard Abdi Bashir Jr. of Burnsville, Minnesota, via Kansas State, point guard Divine Ugochukwu of Sugarland, Texas, via Michigan State and forward Mouhamed Dioubate of Queens, New York, via the Kentucky Wildcats.