Darius Days describes how LSU locker room has reacted to Will Wade news
To many college basketball fans, it came as no surprise that LSU decided to part ways with Will Wade, as the decision came just days after the university received a notice of allegations from the NCAA that detailed several instances of misconduct — but that didn’t change the fact that many of his players, like forward Darius Days, were taken aback by the seemingly abrupt decision.
Days, a 6-foot-7, 245-pound power forward had a nice senior season at LSU, scoring 13.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and coming alive down the stretch of the season. But in one of his better performances of the year — a 14-point, 12-rebound, two-steal double-double — No. 6-seeded LSU was knocked off by No. 11-seeded Iowa State, ending the Tigers season after a 59-54 loss.
Days explained after the game that LSU has gone through quite a bit of turmoil of late, making a first-round NCAA Tournament game even more difficult on Friday.
“Very hectic, for sure,” Days said of the last several days. You know, losing a coach, the guys — some of the guys not being here before, you know. Even we having Coach Nickelberry coming out here to coach, a lot of things happened this week and we just fought through it and stuck together with each other. Like Coach said, the ball just didn’t bounce our way today. But time will tell. Everybody’s had a great career at LSU. It was very fun playing with these guys throughout the time I was here my senior year and I wouldn’t play with nobody else but them.”
Days finished up his fourth year with LSU, and though he has one year of eligibility, he no longer has the head coach under whom he developed after Wade’s firing. Wade, a native of Gainesville, Florida, was a four-star recruit coming out of high school, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
Report: Details emerge on Will Wade contract situation at LSU
LSU didn’t wait long after its SEC Tournament loss to reportedly part ways with head coach Will Wade. New reports shed light on his contract situation — including his buyout.
The news of Wade’s departure comes after LSU received a Notice of Allegations related to an investigation into the program. Stadium’s Jeff Goodman reported LSU decided the nature of the allegations was too strong to keep Wade in Baton Rouge.
Shortly after, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported “multiple Level 1” violations against LSU after previously saying LSU was not expected to pay out the remaining money on Wade’s contract.
LSU fell to Arkansas 79-67 in the SEC Tournament on Friday, and a technical foul on Wade late in the first half proved to be a turning point. Kevin Nickelberry will serve as the Tigers’ interim head coach, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, who broke the story.
The Tigers enter the NCAA Tournament 22-12 overall and 9-9 in SEC play. They’ll find out where and when they play in the big dance on Selection Sunday.