Will Wade and LSU have been making some big moves and rather controversial ones at that, to bring in foreign recruits with experience in big leagues to bolster their squad for the new season. Despite some success with this approach, it seems their luck might be running out with one particular recruit.
It has been reported that Israeli basketball player Yam Madar will likely remain in Israel, despite a lucrative offer from the LSU Tigers to join Will Wade’s squad for the 2026-27 season. College basketball insider Jeff Goodman believes that while it’s a never-say-never situation with the program under Rick Stansbury and Will Wade, it appears this recruitment pitch may not bear fruit.
Yam Madar is a highly sought-after talent, but the chances of LSU making this deal stick were always a long shot. Madar turns 26 in December, and despite the gray areas around eligibility, his experience of being a second-round NBA draft pick in 2020 and playing in several top leagues and winning championships along the way probably makes it untenable for him to now play at the collegiate level.
Will Wade And LSU’s Unique Recruiting Strategy
With Will Wade leading the charge, LSU has adopted a different approach to recruitment, looking to exploit the ambiguity around player eligibility. In his own words, the primary approach is to target overseas players with loads of experience.
“This year I’m going to lean a little heavier on the international route,” said Wade.
“This will be the last year some of those guys will be eligible. So we’re going to lean a little heavier on the international route. Those kids have a lot of experience. There’s just some natural things that they’ve learned over there that really help college basketball and can translate to us in college basketball.”
Whether this strategy works and LSU pulls off a recruiting masterstroke remains to be seen.
Also Read:
“This Has a Massive Impact on Recruiting”: Mark Pope Reacts to NCAA’s New 5-for-5 Eligibility Rule
Kentucky Coach Mark Pope Reveals Why Milan Momcilovic Was Sold on Joining the Program
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