Louisiana State abruptly fired men’s basketball coach Will Wade on Saturday, less than a week after the school received a notice of allegations from the N.C.A.A. that accused Wade of five major rules violations, including making cash payments and job offers to help lure a recruit to the school.
Wade and his associate head coach, Bill Armstrong, were dismissed one day after the Tigers lost to Arkansas in the Southeastern Conference tournament quarterfinals. An assistant coach, Kevin Nickelberry will coach the team, which is 22-11 overall, in the N.C.A.A. tournament, whose pairings will be announced on Sunday.
Wade had been under scrutiny for about three years, since Yahoo reported in 2019 that federal agents had recorded Wade in a wiretapped call discussing making “a strong-ass offer” to Javonte Smart, a decorated high school player from Baton Rouge, La.