TIGER RAG NEWS SERVICES
Former LSU men’s basketball commitment Marcio Santos, a 6-foot-8 center who would have been a 23-year-old freshman for the Tigers this season, will be playing for a pro team in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, instead of LSU.
A native of Minas Gerais in Brazil, Santos had committed to LSU coach Will Wade over the summer, but he never got cleared to play by the NCAA and returned to pro basketball overseas.
Wade still has only four players on his roster officially, but he said at a press conference last Wednesday that he has 15 players. And that was not including Santos.
When asked about Santos at the press conference, Wade said he was not on the team.
When asked why, Wade said, “You’d have to ask the NCAA on that.”
LSU opens the exhibition season on Oct. 8 at McNeese State. The regular season opens on Nov. 3 against LSU-New Orleans. Wade said he expects to release LSU’s roster before the regular season opener.
LSU’s projected roster with 13 of the 15 by Tiger Rag Magazine follows:
NAME, HT., WT., POS. CLASS, PREVIOUS COLLEGE OR PRO TEAM, HIGH SCHOOL, AGE
-ABDI BASHIR JR., 6-5, 170, Guard, Senior, Kansas State, Phoenix Prep, Phoenix, Arizona, Age: 22 – on official roster
-JORDAN BENDER, 6-8, 200, Forward, Freshman, Northside Christian School, St. Petersburg, Florida, Age: 18
-SKYY CLARK, 6-3, 210, Guard, Senior, UCLA, Montverde Academy, Montverde, Florida, Age: 23
-DONOVAN DENT, 6-2, 185, Guard, Senior, UCLA, Centennial High, Corona, California, Age: 22
-BRICE DESSERT, 6-11, 247, Center, Freshman, Andalou Efes pro team, Istanbul, Turkey, Age: 23
-MOUHAMED DIOUBATE, 6-8, 235, Forward, Sr., Kentucky, Putnam, Queens, New York, Age: 22 – on official roster
-GILAD LEVY, 7-3, 242, Center, Freshman, Palencia pro team, Palencia, Spain, Age: 24
*-RJ LUIS, 6-7, 215, Guard/Forward, Senior, St. John’s, Christopher Columbus High, Miami, Age: 23
-SALIOU NIANG, 6-6, 190, Forward, Freshman, Virtus pro team, Bologna, Italy, Age: 22
-AUSTIN NUNEZ, 6-2, 175, Guard, Senior, Texas-San Antonio, Wagner High, San Antonio, Texas, Age: 23 – on official roster
-MICHAEL RUZIC, 7-0, 160, Forward, Freshman, Joventut pro team, Catalonia, Spain, Age: 19
-LUKE STANSBURY, 6-2, 185, Guard, Redshirt Freshman, Stephen F. Austin, Age: 21
-DIVINE UGOCHUKWU, 6-3, 200, Guard, Junior, Michigan St., Clements High, Sugar Land, Texas, Age: 20 – on official roster
*RJ Luis received a temporary restraining order from a Baton Rouge judge against the NCAA on Aug. 24 that has allowed him to practice and potentially play for LSU this season, which begins on Nov. 3 against LSU-New Orleans. That was even though he signed contracts with two NBA teams after going undrafted in 2025 following his junior season at St. John’s. Luis will soon have to clear other legal hurdles, however. Alabama’s Charles Bediako also received a temporary restraining order from a Tuscaloosa judge, allowing him to play last season, despite previously playing in the NBA developmental league. But the same judge later sided with the NCAA and reversed the ruling after Bediako played in only five games.
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