LSU head coach Will Wade has added another international player to his roster for 2026, marking a recruiting trail that may lead the Tigers to a successful season after missing the 2026 NCAA Tournament with a lackluster regular season resume, closing the door to March Madness.
The ongoing mediocrity of the past few seasons of LSU men's basketball caused Wade's return to Baton Rouge, and subsequently a complete roster turnover in order to usher the Tigers into a new, and hopefully more successful, era .
With international recruits becoming increasingly popular in college basketball, and nearly vital to success, Wade's rebuilt roster just added a fourth name to its growing list of international college basketball players.
Forward Saliou Niang's commitment to the Tigers was announced Tuesday evening, reported by Jeff Goodman of the Field of 68. The Italian player is 22 years old, indicating LSU's jump on the bandwagon in recruiting older, more experienced international players.
In fact, Niang is the fourth international player to join the Tigers, with Wade also gaining commitments from guard Yam Madar from Israel, Brice Dessert from Franace, and forward Mrcio Santos from Brazil. Together, the four commits bring international professional experience that will assert dominance on collegiate hardwood in the Tigers' favor.
Niang averaged nine points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.1 turnovers across his 27 games played with Italy's Virtus Bologna, while also shooting 60.8% inside the paint, 36.8% on threes and 75.3% on the free-throw line. He was reportedly recruited by North Carolina as well as LSU. It's likely that Niang's production will soar in his inaugural season of college basketball, with the 6-foot-6 forward expected to immediately start for the Tigers and play a pivotal role on the floor.
However, it's also interesting to note that Niang almost started a career within the NBA before he committed to LSU. The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Niang in the No. 58 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, but instead of signing a contract with Cleveland, Niang opted to play overseas for Virtus Bologna in the Italian Lega Basket Serie A and EuroLeaue.
Niang is the second international player to have been drafted in the NBA but not continue into a professional career yet, with Madar being drafted to the Boston Celtics but opting out of signing an offical contract, pursuing another season in Europe like Niang.
It's reflective of the current trends of college basketball, with international athletes and formerly drafted players both being heavily recruited. As neither Niang or Madar officially signed contracts, LSU won't run into any legal trouble, unlike Alabama's struggle in settling center Charles Bediako's case of eligibility. Still, it's interesting to see that LSU's new era of men's basketball will follow suit in rejecting the traditional model of development and freshman talent, instead opting for players - in this case, international - that have already shown potential professional talent.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/lsu as LSU Lands Another Commitment to Will Wade's Unorthodox Transfer Portal Class .
