Yam Madar's $5 Million LSU Deal Has Top Coaches Ready To Walk Away From College Ball

Okay, so look, we’re deep into MLB and NFL regular season stuff, but sometimes, folks, news hits from outside our Emerald City bubble that is just so wild, so absolutely bonkers, you gotta talk about it. And right now, the college basketball world is melting down thanks to Will Wade’s slimy return to LSU. Seriously, Jeff Goodman, a guy who knows *everything* in college hoops, unloaded on Wade this week, saying the dude "suck for college basketball." And honestly? After seeing the details, it's hard to argue.

Wade's Wild West Recruiting Is Making A Mockery

You thought college basketball was already getting a little loose with the transfer portal? Bro, Will Wade at LSU is playing a whole different game. Rob Dauster laid out the insanity on The Field of 68. LSU has three transfers locked in: Mouhamed Dioubate from Kentucky, Abdi Bashir from Kansas State, and Divine Ugochukwu from Michigan State. Okay, fair enough, that’s just normal these days, right?

But wait, it gets crazier. They’ve got four overseas players on the roster: Saliou Niang, an Italian born in 2004; Brice Dessert from France, born in 2003; and Marcio Santos, a Brazilian who’s been balling in the EuroLeague, born in 2002, who everyone thought was headed to Kentucky. And then there’s the kicker: reports say LSU just landed Yam Madar. This dude was born in 2000, will be 26 in November, and was drafted back in 2020, same class as Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball! He’s a high-paid EuroLeague pro, the second-best league globally, and he’s reportedly getting $5 million to play college ball. FIVE MILLION! This isn’t just pushing the envelope, this is tearing it open and throwing it in the shredder.

And if that wasn't enough, RJ Luis, the Big East Player of the Year in 2025 who played three seasons at UMass and St. John's, and could’ve made seven figures last year but decided to stay in the NBA Draft, has now "committed" to LSU. The audacity is off the charts, people!

Goodman's Fury: "You Suck For College Basketball"

Jeff Goodman, after hearing all that, needed a minute. You know that feeling when you’re watching your team blow a lead at Lumen Field, and you just gotta scream into a pillow? Yeah, that was Goodman. He went OFF. "I wish he didn’t come back to college basketball," Goodman stated, even admitting he likes Wade, having known him since 2007. "But man, you suck for college basketball right now. You’re making it into a mockery." He told Wade to look in the mirror, urging him to have some pride and dignity, and not to ruin the sport.

Goodman didn’t pull punches, calling out Wade for hiring “Slick Rick” Stansbury, saying it was the first sign he was going to “muck it up.” He acknowledged coaches like Scott Drew and Nate Oats pushed the rules last year, but said Wade’s tactics are “absolutely ridiculous.” Goodman pointed out Wade got a second chance after getting fired from LSU in 2022 for misconduct, crushed it at McNeese State, got another shot at NC State, and then after just ONE year, bailed to go back to LSU. “And now it’s the same sh*t all over again,” Goodman fumed. He even talked to four top-20 coaches who are equally disgusted, one calling Wade an “idiot a**h*le” who’s “f*cking it up for everyone else,” and another stating, “Will Wade is the only coach in America who’s going to do this.”

Look, the rules have changed, we all know that. But at some point, you gotta ask: what are we even doing here? College basketball is meant to be something special, and this kind of stuff just tarnishes the whole thing. It’s a total mess, and it makes you wonder what the sport will even look like next season.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.