Former LSU basketball coach Will Wade made things official with McNeese State on Sunday, agreeing to terms on a five-year deal to become the program’s head coach.

Wade coached the Tigers from 2017-22, and he replaces second-year coach John Aiken, who was fired after going just 22-45 in Lake Charles.

Wade is just 40, and he led LSU to winning seasons in each of his five years with the team, compiling a 105-51. He also took the team to the Sweet 16 in 2019 after capturing an SEC regular season title.

However, Wade was fired for cause last spring after he was charged by the NCAA with five Level I violations. There still hasn’t been a resolution in that case, and it’s a risky hire in the sense that Wade could still face potential repercussions from the NCAA down the line.

But Wade is also a proven winner. In previous stops, he turned Chattanooga’s program around in two years and took VCU to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments as a mid-major. Now, a Cowboys program that has made just two NCAA Tournaments since moving up to the Division I level (and none since 2002) will hope Wade can achieve similar results.

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Story originally appeared on LSU Tigers Wire