Will Wade talks about his LSU team after answering trial question
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On Wednesday morning, LSU was picked to finish sixth in the Southeastern Conference basketball race.
In addition, sophomore point guard Tremont Waters was selected to the All-SEC preseason first team.
Most college basketball analysts believe the Tigers will be a NCAA tournament team next March.
However, what will happen in the upcoming basketball season was not the major topic for LSU coach Will Wade at SEC Media Day on Wednesday afternoon in Birmingham (Ala.).
About 24 hours earlier, Wade’s name surfaced during the federal conspiracy trial of former Adidas employees Jim Gatto and Merl Code and player-runner Christian Dawkins.
The FBI had a tape of a conversation between Wade and Dawkins which concerned 7-foot, 2019 recruit Balsa Koprivica from IMG Academy. Dawkins talked to Wade about Koprivica, a person “you would have funded.”
Wade denied having any “business” with Dawkins when questioned by members of the media in Birmingham.
“I don’t want to react to what the defense attorney said,” Wade said. “I am very proud of everything I have done at LSU. I have never, ever done any business of any kind with Christian Dawkins. That’s what I’ll say about that. I’ll move forward from here and talk about the team.”
Wade had to answer questions about another topic – the killing of Wayde Sims last month. Sims was getting ready for his third season in the Tigers program. He was projected to be a key backup at small forward for the 2018-19 campaign.
“We’re still in the process of moving forward,” Wade said. “September 28 (day of Sims’ death) was a rough day. Everyday, we try to move forward some. Getting back in a routine helps. Basketball has been a very good release for not only our players, but also our staff.
“We want to honor Wayde by how he played on the court. He was the ultimate glue guy. Wayde is somebody everybody loved. He was consistent and dependable. We can honor him by playing that way.”
Wade seemed to be encouraged about his team. The Tigers have just three returning players from last season’s team – point guard Tremont Waters and wings Skylar Mays and Daryl Edwards. Post player Kavell Bigby-Williams sat out last season after transferring from Oregon.
“We’re excited about the season,” Wade said. “I like where we are, but I love who we are going to become. We have experience with Tremont and Skylar. They have tread on their tires. Then, we have Kavell.
“We now have length and athleticism on the perimeter with (junior college transfer Marlon) Taylor and (freshman) Ja’Vonte (Smart). We have added size with Naz (Reid), Emmitt (Williams) and Darius (Days). We have a nice blend of experience and youth. The ceiling is very high for our team.”
Wade stressed that the Tigers must be a better defensive team this season if they are going to challenge for a NCAA tournament berth as expected.
“We have to improve our defense and our rebounding,” Wade said. “We scored 78 points a game and led the league in field goal percentage last year. Our offense will be as good, if not better, this year. Our offense is good enough.
“Our defense is not good enough. We don’t need an outstanding defense. We just need a little more serviceable defense. We have to earn the right to win.”
LSU will begin its season against Southeastern Louisiana at the PMAC on Nov. 6.
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