When he drove 2020 prospect Eric Gaines to the airport on the morning of March 1, 2020, there was no way Will Wade could have known it would be the last time he would see a potential recruit in person for a long time.
Just 11 days later, COVID-19 turned the world upside down and with it went all NCAA activities — including basketball recruiting — just one month before the spring signing period and three months before the summertime rush for the 2021 class began.
But exactly 15 months after dropping off Gaines, who later that day committed to the LSU program, most of the recruiting restrictions are set to be lifted.
For the better part of five decades, the annual college draft was the lifeblood of NFL teams.
Beginning Tuesday, Wade will get to have face-to-face meetings and host official on-campus visits for recruits he and his coaching staff have targeted for the 2022 class.
More importantly, they will be able to scout the tournaments and certified camps being held across the country, when they’ll get their first glimpse of 2023 prospects.
“It will be different, that’s for sure,” Wade said last week. “Typically, by now we will have seen most of these kids three or four times. This year, we’ve been recruiting a bunch of guys that we’ll be laying eyes on for the first time.
“I haven’t been to a live basketball game (other than his own games) since it shut down.”
In that time, recruiting was limited to cellphone calls, Zoom meet-and-greets and watching game tapes.
While last year’s recruiting cycle was unusual, to say the least, it could have been worse.
Fortunately, LSU had already received a verbal commitment from four-star center Jerrell Colbert. And, the staff had already done its homework on two four-stars who followed Colbert — small forward Alex Fudge and shooting guard Brandon Murray.
Will Wade added an important piece to his roster Sunday afternoon when five-star prospect Efton Reid signed with LSU, choosing the Tigers over…
Despite the restrictions that are about to come off, Wade did get a commitment in December from four-star prospect Devin Ree, a 6-foot-8 small forward from Terry, Mississippi.
Still, Wade is eager to get back on the road.
Among the big events he’ll attend are the Nike EYBL Peach Jam, which is set for July 13-25 in North Augusta, South Carolina, and the Adidas Phenom National Camp, which will be held Aug. 5-8 in San Diego.
“It’ll be good to get back out and be in front of people,” Wade said. “You can observe a lot more; you can see guys live. It’ll be good to be back out there.
“We have had virtual tours and virtual visits, but the biggest thing is getting back out on the road. The other thing is having kids back on your campus for official visits … that’s critical.”
Even though they’re behind on 2022, Wade said it’s not the worst thing.
He currently has no scholarships available for 2022-23 because he’ll have no seniors next season unless Darius Days, who declared for the NBA draft, decides to come back.
Wade said he has “six to eight” official visits scheduled for June. In addition, he and his staff will have two weekends in June and three in July to got out and see potential recruits.
“We’ve only seen some of these kids on tape, so the main thing is having our staff lay eyes on our main targets (for 2022),” he said. “We will be able to see them in person and get a good evaluation on them.”
LSU faculty members are pushing to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for the campus community ahead of the fall semester.
While it will be busy once again on the recruiting trail, Wade wants to spend more time with the players on his current roster.
With the exception of Colbert, who’s finishing up his high school course work, all 13 scholarship players reported for the start of the summer semester last week. Wade said Colbert is expected to arrive on campus in July.
“I also like spending time with our current players and building the team,” he said. “Recruiting is very important, but I like to be around the guys during the summer.
"The most important recruits you have are the ones that are already on your team — especially now with the transfer portal.”
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Fifteen months later, LSU coach Will Wade ready to get back on recruiting trail and host prospects - The Advocate
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