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The LSU Tigers have not gone about building next season's men's basketball roster is a traditional way. There are going to be a lot of naysayers pushing back on what Will Wade is doing, but it should end up in a very interesting product on the court in Baton Rouge.
The Tigers now have 11 players who can be counted as a part of next year's team. That comes with a mix of international players, college transfers and even a high-profile football commit. Some of the current signees may not even end up playing because of questionable eligibility.
Here's an updated look at everyone that LSU has signed, so far, to public knowledge:
Madar is probably the signing that will upset the most people, as he is a 25-year-old professional who has been playing in Israel since 2020. He has a lot of basketball experience and has multiple European championships under his belt, including the 2025 EuroCup.
Last year, for Hapopel Tel Aviv, Madar averaged 11.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 steals on 45.8/35.4/86.5 shooting splits.
Ugochukwu is on his third team in as many years and will likely finally have his biggest role as the only real combo guard that LSU has right now. He's more of a shooting guard than a point guard, but can play both roles if he needs to.
Jeremy Fears did most of the playmaking for the Spartans last season, but Ugochukwu was second on the team with 1.5 assists. The new Tiger also had 5.1 points and 1.5 rebounds on 50.6/44.2/55.6 shooting splits.
Nunez is an experienced guard who started 21 games for the UTSA Roadrunners last season. He put up 9.8 points per night, but did it on worrisome 30.4/25.3/88.5 shooting splits. He is an aggressive defender, though, and should fit in with the current theme of this roster.
Bashir is the best sharpshooter that LSU has seen in a long time. He shot 44.4% from deep last season on 8.4 attempts per night. As a sophomore, two years ago, he averaged 20.1 points and shot 10.4 three-pointers a night on 37.7%. He will be a major part of the Tigers' offense and should be fun to watch.
Luis is committed to play for LSU, but this is a case where they will need to work to get him eligible for college. The 23-year-old has played three seasons of college basketball between Massachusetts and St. John's. He went undrafted in 2025, but signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz before being traded to the Boston Celtics for Georges Niang. He was waived before the season and then joined their G-League team (though he never appeared in a game).
In his last college season, he averaged 18.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals and was a second-team All-American. This would obviously be a massive addition if it works out.
Dioubate averaged 8.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game for the Kentucky Wildcats last season. He is far more exciting because of his defensive upside, though. He can guard positions 1-5 and do it well. This type of hard-nosed defender is exactly what this team needs. He may not be the most dynamic offensive player, but he doesn't need to be.
Niang was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the 2025 NBA draft.
The small forward isn't much of a shooter, but he can get baskets if he needs and is an active defender. He gives the Tigers another extremely versatile defender with athletic upside. It's an interesting identity that Wade seems to be going for in year one.
Santos, like Dioubate, has been described as a bit of a bully. He's more developed as a 23-year-old, which will help him in the front court as he's a little bit undersized. He averaged 8.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists for Maccabi Tel Aviv last season.
His three-point shooting took a little bit of a dip last season in the IBSL, but he shot above 40% in both the EuroCup and EuroLeague. That stretch ability will come in handy, especially for someone like Dioubate who gets his points in the paint.
As a five-star football recruit, it's unclear just how involved Hudson will be with the basketball team, but he is an excellent basketball recruit and has said that he wants to play for LSU. He's a superb athlete and nearly averages a double-double as a power forward.
Like Luis, this is one where the Tigers will need to work to get Dessert eligible. He is 23 years old and has had four professional seasons, so it's not a guarantee, though there is some precedent.
In 23 games for Anadolu Efes of the BSL in Turkey, Dessert averaged 8.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. He would be a welcome addition to the front court, adding a ton of size at nearly seven feet tall.
Ružić has been projected as an NBA draft pick in the past, but has withdrawn from the process each time. At 19, he's not as egregious of an addition as other International players.
The 7-foot, 230-pound center averaged 6.5 points and 3.8 rebounds on 54.7% from the field in 17.5 minutes per game last season for Joventut in Liga Endesa. He's a little bit of a floor stretcher.
Head Coach: Will Wade
Associate Head Coach: Rick Stansbury
Associate Coach: Johnny Jones
Associate Coach: Damon Stoudamire
Associate Coach: Vernon Hamilton
Chief of Staff and Director of Performance: Greg Goldin
Director of Player Development: Jay Smith
Director of Operations: Nick Flory
Director of Scouting and Video: Brady Jones
Executive Assistant to the HC & Coordinator of External Relations: Reed Vial
Director of Analytics and Scouting: Isaac Stansbury
Sr. Associate Athletic Trainer: Shawn Eddy
Communications Director: Kent Lowe
Coordinator: Tam Davis
Continue reading...
The Tigers now have 11 players who can be counted as a part of next year's team. That comes with a mix of international players, college transfers and even a high-profile football commit. Some of the current signees may not even end up playing because of questionable eligibility.
Here's an updated look at everyone that LSU has signed, so far, to public knowledge:
G Yam Madar
Madar is probably the signing that will upset the most people, as he is a 25-year-old professional who has been playing in Israel since 2020. He has a lot of basketball experience and has multiple European championships under his belt, including the 2025 EuroCup.
Last year, for Hapopel Tel Aviv, Madar averaged 11.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 steals on 45.8/35.4/86.5 shooting splits.
G Divine Ugochukwu
Ugochukwu is on his third team in as many years and will likely finally have his biggest role as the only real combo guard that LSU has right now. He's more of a shooting guard than a point guard, but can play both roles if he needs to.
Jeremy Fears did most of the playmaking for the Spartans last season, but Ugochukwu was second on the team with 1.5 assists. The new Tiger also had 5.1 points and 1.5 rebounds on 50.6/44.2/55.6 shooting splits.
G Austin Nunez
Nunez is an experienced guard who started 21 games for the UTSA Roadrunners last season. He put up 9.8 points per night, but did it on worrisome 30.4/25.3/88.5 shooting splits. He is an aggressive defender, though, and should fit in with the current theme of this roster.
G/F Abdi Bashir Jr.
Bashir is the best sharpshooter that LSU has seen in a long time. He shot 44.4% from deep last season on 8.4 attempts per night. As a sophomore, two years ago, he averaged 20.1 points and shot 10.4 three-pointers a night on 37.7%. He will be a major part of the Tigers' offense and should be fun to watch.
G/F RJ Luis Jr.
Luis is committed to play for LSU, but this is a case where they will need to work to get him eligible for college. The 23-year-old has played three seasons of college basketball between Massachusetts and St. John's. He went undrafted in 2025, but signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz before being traded to the Boston Celtics for Georges Niang. He was waived before the season and then joined their G-League team (though he never appeared in a game).
In his last college season, he averaged 18.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals and was a second-team All-American. This would obviously be a massive addition if it works out.
F Mo Dioubate
Dioubate averaged 8.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game for the Kentucky Wildcats last season. He is far more exciting because of his defensive upside, though. He can guard positions 1-5 and do it well. This type of hard-nosed defender is exactly what this team needs. He may not be the most dynamic offensive player, but he doesn't need to be.
F Saliou Niang
Niang was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the 2025 NBA draft.
The small forward isn't much of a shooter, but he can get baskets if he needs and is an active defender. He gives the Tigers another extremely versatile defender with athletic upside. It's an interesting identity that Wade seems to be going for in year one.
F/C Márcio Santos
Santos, like Dioubate, has been described as a bit of a bully. He's more developed as a 23-year-old, which will help him in the front court as he's a little bit undersized. He averaged 8.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists for Maccabi Tel Aviv last season.
His three-point shooting took a little bit of a dip last season in the IBSL, but he shot above 40% in both the EuroCup and EuroLeague. That stretch ability will come in handy, especially for someone like Dioubate who gets his points in the paint.
F Ahmad Hudson
As a five-star football recruit, it's unclear just how involved Hudson will be with the basketball team, but he is an excellent basketball recruit and has said that he wants to play for LSU. He's a superb athlete and nearly averages a double-double as a power forward.
C Brice Dessert
Like Luis, this is one where the Tigers will need to work to get Dessert eligible. He is 23 years old and has had four professional seasons, so it's not a guarantee, though there is some precedent.
In 23 games for Anadolu Efes of the BSL in Turkey, Dessert averaged 8.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. He would be a welcome addition to the front court, adding a ton of size at nearly seven feet tall.
C Michael Ruzic
Ružić has been projected as an NBA draft pick in the past, but has withdrawn from the process each time. At 19, he's not as egregious of an addition as other International players.
The 7-foot, 230-pound center averaged 6.5 points and 3.8 rebounds on 54.7% from the field in 17.5 minutes per game last season for Joventut in Liga Endesa. He's a little bit of a floor stretcher.
Coaching and Support Staff
Head Coach: Will Wade
Associate Head Coach: Rick Stansbury
Associate Coach: Johnny Jones
Associate Coach: Damon Stoudamire
Associate Coach: Vernon Hamilton
Chief of Staff and Director of Performance: Greg Goldin
Director of Player Development: Jay Smith
Director of Operations: Nick Flory
Director of Scouting and Video: Brady Jones
Executive Assistant to the HC & Coordinator of External Relations: Reed Vial
Director of Analytics and Scouting: Isaac Stansbury
Sr. Associate Athletic Trainer: Shawn Eddy
Communications Director: Kent Lowe
Coordinator: Tam Davis
Continue reading...
