By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
LSU basketball coach Will Wade appeared in mid-SEC-season form on Tuesday during a zoom teleconference with reporters as he was unable to attend SEC media days in Birmingham, Alabama. The Tigers’ flight was canceled due to early-morning fog in Baton Rouge.
Sports Illustrated columnist Pat Forde asked Wade about the status of Wade top recruiting target Marcio Santos, a 6-foot-8 forward/center in professional basketball overseas whom Wade expected to have on his team this season. But Santos, 23, was ruled ineligible by the NCAA last month and opted to play professionally in Spain, according to reports on Sept. 29.
“I’m curious where things stand with Santos and Saliou Niang (6-6 pro forward formerly in Italy who is 22) and Levy Gilad (7-3 pro center formerly in Spain who is 24)” Forde said, but Wade aggressively interrupted the question.
“Pat, do you follow us at all? Because Santos hadn’t been a member of our stuff since July,” Wade shot back. “So, I don’t know where the hell you got that from.”
Santos actually had been widely reported as a potential LSU player as of late September before Wade updated his status on Sept. 23. When a Baton Rouge reporter asked Wade about Santos at a press conference at LSU on Sept. 23, Wade said he was not with the team. When asked why, Wade said only, “You’d have to ask the NCAA on that.”
Santos was not on the first updated roster released by LSU before the McNeese State exhibition last Thursday in Lake Charles that had 10 players. Only four were listed throughout the summer by LSU’s website.
“Do you even follow us? Or are you just here to ask ‘Gotcha’ questions?” Wade said.
Forde is a national columnist and, by definition, does not regularly “follow” LSU, which was just picked to finish 14th in the 16-team SEC by media members.
Oh My God! Will Wade’s official basketball roster reaches double figures … just in time to be picked 14th in the SEC. Wade hits SEC Media Day podium tomorrow. https://t.co/sL5Xzy593H
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) October 13, 2026
“I’m asking,” Forde began, but Wade interrupted him again.
“Santos hadn’t even been in the equation,” Wade said. “We haven’t announced him as signed.”
“Ok, ok,” Forde said.
“We haven’t done any of that,” Wade said. “What are we doing?”
Wade was asking Forde that, but many have wanted to ask Wade the same question as his roster stood at four officially just last week.
“How about the others?” Forde said.
“You don’t follow us. You’re here to ask ‘Gotcha’ questions, but go ahead with what else you got,” Wade said.
“I just did,” Forde said. “Niang, Skyy Clark and Levy Gilad.”
Clark is a fifth-year senior transfer guard from UCLA whom Wade has confirmed has been practicing with LSU, but he is awaiting NCAA clearance on his eligibility. He appeared on the roster for the McNeese game on Oct. 8, but did not play and is not on LSU’s current, 10-man roster that may be growing again soon.
Breaking! LSU basketball roster finally grows from 4 to 10 officially on athletics website. https://t.co/ukWOHNRA7C
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) October 13, 2026
“That’s who you got?” Wade asked.
“Yep,” Forde said.
“We’ll see who gets eligible,” Wade said. “We feel good about that group getting eligible – the ones that were actually on our roster, the ones that were actually on our team, we feel like those guys will get eligible. How about that?”
“Ok,” Forde said.
THE “STRONG-ASS OFFER” STORY BY PAT FORDE, OTHERS AT YAHOO SPORTS
Wade is likely still sore with Forde as it was Forde, Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel who broke the famous and proven completely accurate story on March 7, 2019, that featured Wade discussing on FBI wiretap a “strong ass offer” that he made to sign top recruit Javonte Smart at LSU. That story led to a major NCAA investigation of Wade and LSU that found Wade guilty of five major NCAA recruiting violations and got him fired by LSU in March of 2022.
LSU’s latest fluctuating roster “stuff” follows:
LSU BASKETBALL 2026-27 ROSTER (10)
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
-JORDAN BENDER, 6-8, 200, Forward, Freshman, Northside Christian, St. Petersburg, Florida, Age: 18 – added Oct. 8
-DONOVAN DENT, 6-2, 185, Guard, Senior, UCLA, Centennial High, Corona, California, Age: 22 – added Oct. 8
-MOUHAMED DIOUBATE, 6-8, 235, Forward, Senior, Kentucky, Putnam, Queens, New York, Age: 22
–BRAD FIFE, 5-10, 150, Guard, Freshman, Catholic High, Baton Rouge, Age: 18 – added Oct. 8
-AUSTIN NUNEZ, 6-2, 175, Guard, Senior, Texas-San Antonio, Wagner High, San Antonio, Texas, Age: 23
-STRAKE PEARSON, 7-0, 234, Center, Freshman, IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, Prosper, Texas, Age 19 – added Oct. 8
-MICHAEL RUZIC, 7-0, 160, Forward, Freshman, Joventut pro team, Catalonia, Spain, Age: 19 – added Oct. 8
-LUKE STANSBURY, 6-2, 185, Guard, Redshirt Freshman, Stephen F. Austin, Age: 21 – added Oct. 8
-DIVINE UGOCHUKWU, 6-3, 200, Guard, Junior, Michigan St., Clements High, Sugar Land, Texas, Age: 20
LSU POSSIBLE ROSTER ADDITIONS AWAITING NCAA CLEARANCE WHILE PRACTICING (5):
-SKYY CLARK, 6-3, 210, Guard, Senior, UCLA, Montverde Academy, Montverde, Florida, Age: 23 – on roster at McNeese game, but awaiting eligibility clearance
-BRICE DESSERT, 6-11, 247, Center, Freshman, Andalou Efes pro team, Istanbul, Turkey, Age: 23 – awaiting eligibility clearance
-GILAD LEVY, 7-3, 242, Center, Freshman, Palencia pro team, Palencia, Spain, Age: 24 – awaiting eligibility clearance
-RJ LUIS, 6-7, 215, Guard/Forward, Senior, St. John’s, Christopher Columbus High, Miami, Age: 23 – awaiting eligibility clearance
-SALIOU NIANG, 6-6, 190, Forward, Freshman, Virtus pro team, Bologna, Italy, Age: 22 – awaiting eligibility clearance
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