LSU basketball coach Will Wade had just one complete day to celebrate one of the best victories of his career before more news dropped concerning his name and the ongoing federal probe into corruption in college basketball.
Wade and Arizona coach Sean Miller have been notified that they will soon be subpoenaed to testify in a federal court trial to begin April 22, according to a story published Monday by Yahoo Sports.
Wade, whose Tigers beat No. 5 Tennessee 82-80 Saturday, was previously identified through a federal wire tap talking to a major target of the investigation — agent runner Christian Dawkins — about the recruitment of 7-foot-1 Balsa Koprivica of Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida.
Wade may have discussed on tape what it would cost to get Koprivica, who is the No. 16 center in the nation and No. 69 prospect overall, according to Rivals.com. Koprivica committed to Florida State on Oct. 26 after scholarship offers from LSU, Kansas, Louisville, Tennessee and Arizona, among others.
Miller was also reportedly linked to Dawkins through phone records. Arizona's recruitment of DeAndre Ayton drew scrutiny when the scandal broke last season. Ayton finished the year with the Wildcats before being taken with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns.
Subsequently, long-time Arizona assistant Emanuel "Book" Richardson pleaded guilty last month to accepting $20,000 to steer players to sign with Dawkins when they went to the NBA.
Wade did not immediately confirm he was informed he would be receiving a subpoena to testify in the upcoming trial at a press conference on Monday scheduled for him to discuss the LSU-Texas A&M game on Tuesday night.
"I just saw it," Wade said of the Yahoo story. "I've not heard anything. Just saw it before I walked in here."
Asked if he has been expecting to be subpoenaed since his name first appeared in connection to the corruption trial, Wade said, "I really haven't been following it all that closely. I've been focused on our team."
The Tigers (22-5) are ranked No. 14 in the USA TODAY coaches' poll and tied for first place in the Southeastern Conference with No. 7 Tennessee and No. 4 Kentucky at 12-2 with four regular season games to play.
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