LSU Basketball

Philadelphia 76ers forward Ben Simmons has never been shy about his disdain for the NCAA's business practices. The former LSU star doubled down on some of his criticisms in an interview with Uninterrupted, calling the NCAA a "dirty business."

"It's a dirty business… You have to put up with it, but at the same time it taught me a lot," Simmons said. "I have an image and people use it, but now I have the opportunity to control that, what I do and who I work with. It helped me, but at the same time I felt it was very sneaky."

Simmons, 20, spent one year at LSU before entering the NBA. His lone season in Baton Rouge was as a disappointment from a team perspective, as the Tigers missed the NCAA tournament. The point forward also made no qualms about it being a business relationship with the school, since he pulled out of spring semester classes after the season ended.

"The NCAA is really f--ked up," Simmons said in a Showtime documentary about his freshman season. "Everybody's making money except the players. We're the ones waking up early as hell to be the best teams and do everything they want us to do and then the players get nothing. They say education, but if I'm there for a year, I can't get much education."

After the Philadelphia 76ers selected Simmons first overall in the 2016 NBA draft, he sat out the entire 2016-17 season due to a foot fracture he suffered during training camp. He told Uninterrupted his pseudo-redshirt year with the Sixers taught him more than anything he learned at LSU. 

"I think I would have learned a lot more by being around professional athletes," Simmons said. "Looking at it now, I don't even know what I learned financially or just being a person at LSU. I think I've learned a lot more with this last year being in Philly and being a pro, than I did at LSU."

Bashing the NCAA is nothing new. Critics have long clamored for players to receive their fair share of what has become a multibillion dollar business. What makes Simmons and guys such as UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen unique is their willingness to speak out on the issues while still in college.

LSU boosted its 2018 recruiting class in a big way Friday as 4-star forward Darius Days announced his commitment to the Tigers, according to CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein. 

Days, who stars at The Rock School in Florida, is 247Sports' No. 58 overall prospect and 13th-ranked power forward in the 2018 class. He's the state of Florida's eighth-best player at his position.

Listed at 6'7" and 218 pounds, Days can move back and forth between the two forward spots. His current skill set is better suited to power forward, but he's been working on his all-around game to help assuage concerns about his viability at the 3.

Florida was seen as a natural fit for Days throughout the recruiting process both in terms of stylistic fit and proximity. The Rock School is in Gainesville, so Days has a deep familiarity with the area and a natural relationship with the Gators coaching staff, one that developed naturally by him being in town.

247Sports' Crystal Ball metrics gave Days an 86 percent chance of landing with the Gators during the summer. LSU was the only other team in consideration at that point.

Regardless of his ultimate position, LSU will be landing a versatile prospect who affects the game in a number of ways. His positional fluidity projects well for the modern NBA game, and he has the athleticism and length to defend three positions. Adding a little extra bulk, pushing himself to be a better three-point shooter and creating off the dribble will be the three biggest areas of improvement going forward.

Days is the third prospect to sign with the team for 2018, and he's the third of 4-star distinction or higher. He should team up with Nazreon Reid and Ja'Vonte Smart to help form a dynamic triumvirate in a year's time. 

LSU's 2018 recruiting class got a huge boost with Tuesday's commitment from power forward Nazreon Reid. 

Reid announced his decision via Twitter:

A standout at Roselle Catholic High School in New Jersey, Reid is one of the best big men in next year's recruiting class. He's a 4-star recruit who is the top-ranked power forward from his home state, third-ranked power forward in the nation and 15th-ranked player overall, per 247Sports. 

Beyond the lofty rankings for Reid, he's got rare ability for a player who is already 6'9" and 220 pounds. Here's what ESPN.com's scouting report believes could be in store for the prized big man at the next level:

"He can take the ball off the glass and lead the break without problem, make quick instinctive improvisations with the ball in his hands and create offense for both himself and his teammates. His overall feel for the game and basketball I.Q. is equally high and his ability to see the game more than one pass ahead at his size is truly unique. His shooting stroke, while not initially as natural as his ball-handling and passing, has improved rapidly over the years and is now just as impressive as the rest of his skill set."

It's no secret this era of basketball has largely gone positionless, with teams simply putting their best five players on the court. Reid fits in perfectly with this model because his size allows him to play inside, but he's got the shooting touch to create his own scoring opportunities on the outside. 

LSU head coach Will Wade is making this program his own. The 34-year-old was hired by the school in March 2017, taking over for Johnny Jones after he made just one NCAA tournament appearance in five seasons. 

Wade was able to keep VCU playing at a high level after Shaka Smart left the program two years ago. The Rams made the NCAA tournament in each of his two seasons as head coach, though they never advanced past the second round. 

Now, Wade is showing off his recruiting chops by adding one of the nation's most talented big men. Competing in the SEC is a difficult proposition because Kentucky is always a force in recruiting and on the court. Florida and South Carolina are programs on the rise, ready to take center stage. 

Reid gives Wade a program building block. The Tigers haven't been a national title contender since reaching the Final Four in 2006, but this is a great start for their rebuilding efforts with a new head coach. 

Former Oregon Ducks basketball player and current LSU transfer Kavell Bigby-Williams will not be charged following a sexual assault investigation. 

According to Dylan Darling of the Register-Guard, the Gillette College Police Department closed the case Thursday after Bigby-Williams was suspected of forcible rape on the school's campus in Gillette, Wyoming, last year.

Gillette College spokeswoman Wendy Smith wrote the following in an email after a third-party report regarding the case was reviewed: "After reviewing the case facts, and consulting with the alleged victim and the investigating officers, the county attorney’s office declined criminal prosecution in the matter."

The report notes a woman said she had been drinking and didn't remember much from the encounter, but "police observed bruises on the woman’s neck, and she told them she had experienced vaginal pain." Bigby-Williams said he and the woman engaged in consensual sex.

Bigby-Williams will sit out the 2017-18 campaign before joining LSU as a transfer in 2018-19 after coming off the bench for the Ducks last season.

Javonte Smart‏, one of the most coveted prospects in the 2018 college basketball recruiting class, announced Friday he's committed to LSU. 

The point guard confirmed his choice of the Tigers on social media:

Smart is a 5-star prospect who ranks as the No. 17 overall recruit in the 2018 class, according to the Scout.com player rankings. He's also listed as the fourth-best point guard and the best player at the position from Louisiana among next year's incoming group.

The Scotlandville Magnet High School star has all the tools to become a high-impact player at the collegiate level and a potential lottery pick. He combines 6'4'' length with smooth ball-handling skills, fearlessness attacking the rim and an improving jump shot.

Last June, he told Kyle Ringo of USA Today High School Sports being ranked so high provided motivation to prove the recruiting services right.

"There is no pressure," Smart said. "You just fuel my fire because a lot of guards try to come at me and they're coming at my head. I've just got to stay focused and keep working and just keep playing good."

He added: "A lot of people are trying to come at me because I'm top. If I wasn't top, I'd do the same. Since I'm supposed to be one of the best point guards, I'm going to keep working like I've never been one of the best point guards."

Nothing that's happened over the past 12 months has changed his status as a top-tier prospect.

Landing one of the best in-state recruits is a major victory for new LSU head coach Will Wade. The former Chattanooga and VCU coach must make securing commitments from players like Smart a common occurrence to get the program back on track after a 10-21 record last season.

Smart should make an immediate impact for the Tigers when he arrives for the 2018-19 campaign. If his development continues at its current rate, he could become a one-and-done college player.

Kavell Bigby-Williams, who is transferring to the LSU basketball team from Oregon, played last season under investigation for sexual assault.

According to Kenny Jacoby of the Daily Emerald (h/t Eder Campuzano of the Oregonian), Bigby-Williams was accused of sexually assaulting a woman near Gillette College in September. The Northern Wyoming Community College District police have been investigating him since.

The 6'11" forward played for Gillette College before transferring to Oregon for last season. After helping the Ducks reach the Final Four, he announced his intention to transfer to LSU on his Twitter account Tuesday:

 pic.twitter.com/GcByIUr9B9

— Kavell Bigby-W (@Kavell6ft11) June 20, 2017

He averaged 3.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in 37 games in his only season with the Ducks.

According to the report, University of Oregon police have known about the investigation since the beginning of the fall semester. However, athletic director Greg Walker said he and Oregon coach Dana Altman were unaware of the accusations.

Altman dealt with a similar situation three years ago when three players were accused of rape and eventually dismissed from the team.

John Thompson III's firing re-opened Tremont Waters' recruitment and LSU pounced Monday by landing the 4-star point guard. 

 Ed Waters, Tremont's father, announced his son signed the letter of intent to Evan Daniels of Scout.com.

"Multiple reasons," Ed Waters told Daniels of why Tremont was heading to LSU. "Lengthy conversations with the coach and looking into the SEC we have the network where our wife and I can catch every game if we want to on our network."

"Having a good contract was important and understanding a coach like Will Wade coming in has to prove himself, just like Tremont does," he added. "I like the fact that he’s hungry and has something to prove. The conversations have been amazing."

Scout.com currently ranks Waters as the nation's No. 41 overall prospect and 12th-ranked point guard. He ranks fourth among players at his position in the East region.

Originally signed by Thompson at Georgetown, Waters requested and was granted his release from his letter of intent in March after the Hoyas fired the longtime coach. The process was mostly shrouded in uncertainty early on as Georgetown held off a bit on granting Waters his release. 

“In all fairness to [Georgetown] and also the family, I just want to deal with the process first and then maybe we can speak on things afterwards,” Ed Waters told Adam Zagoria.

Listed at 5'11" and 155 pounds, Waters will have to overcome his size deficiency to have success at the next level. He's been able to dominate in prep games thanks to his lightning quickness and natural point guard tendencies. Translating that to the next level will mostly be about him learning how to continue his development in smaller spaces.

"Tremont’s development is important," Waters said. "Some of these kids can go anywhere and can go one and done. But some of these kids are like Steph Curry and Davidson, where they need to go somewhere and develop."

If Waters were 6'2", he would probably be a 5-star recruit with the entire nation fawning after him. As it stands, his skill set is likely a little underrated due to size and strength concerns—a fair assessment, particularly on the defensive end.

LSU announced on Monday the hiring of VCU head coach Will Wade.

The contract is a six-year deal, according to Jeff Goodman of ESPN.

Wade spent the past two seasons at Virginia Commonwealth, making the NCAA tournament both times as a No. 10 seed. His squad lost in the first round to Saint Mary's this year.

The 34-year-old coach spent the previous two years at Chattanooga. In four seasons as a Division I head coach, he has a 91-45 career record.

He will hope to turn around an LSU team that has brought in elite talent in recent years—including McDonald's All-Americans Ben Simmons and Antonio Blakeney—but hasn't been able to turn that into success on the court.

The Tigers have had just two NCAA tournament appearances since their Final Four in 2006. The team finished 10-21 this season and fired head coach Johnny Jones after five years.

Meanwhile, VCU will have to find another coach who can keep the program on top of the conference, just as it did after Shaka Smart, Anthony Grant and Jeff Capel left for bigger programs.

LSU head basketball coach Johnny Jones has been fired from the team, Athletic Director Joe Alleva announced Friday.

Evan Daniels of Scout.com initially reported on March 7 that the move was coming as soon as LSU was eliminated from the SEC tournament.

"In the end, the decision to dismiss Coach Johnny Jones did not come easily but was made in the firm belief that excellence is within reach," Alleva said in the school's announcement.

The Tigers went just 10-20 this season with a 2-16 conference record that tied Missouri for the worst in the SEC. The squad fell to Mississippi State in the first round of the conference tournament in a 79-52 loss.

Jones has spent five years at LSU, accumulating a 90-71 record in that span with just one NCAA tournament appearance. Prior to that, he reached the tournament twice in 11 years with North Texas, earning a 190-146 record.

While the current season's record is likely a big reason for Jones' expected removal, last year's squad was arguably an even bigger disappointment. Despite signing Ben Simmons, who ended up being the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA draft, the squad failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament.

Fellow McDonald's All-American Antonio Blakeney couldn't provide much more success in either of his two seasons.

Jeff Goodman of ESPN noted the program will now be aggressive in finding a replacement:

On the other hand, Goodman ruled out Tom Crean and Rick Stansbury as possible options.

The Tigers are just 1-2 in the NCAA tournament since the 2006 run to the Final Four under John Brady.

LSU Tigers star Ben Simmons hasn't ruled out playing for Australia at some point in the future, but his agent, Rich Paul, confirmed that the 19-year-old won't represent his country at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, per ESPN's Chris Broussard.

Paul released a statement, per Broussard:

Ben Simmons will postpone playing with the Australian Olympic team this summer in order to concentrate fully on his NBA activities following the upcoming 2016 NBA draft. Australian Olympic Team training and competition takes place at the same time as the various NBA summer development programs, and therefore, Ben will look forward to his national team participation at some time later in his career.

Australia head coach Andrej Lemanis included Simmons on his extended roster for the Olympics in March, but it was never a guarantee that he'd be available to play.

In August, Simmons commented on potentially playing for the Boomers, per Roy Ward of the Age (h/t the Sydney Morning Herald):

If it's a good situation I would definitely love to do that and I definitely want to play in an Olympic Games before I'm done playing—it's definitely a goal.

Soon as I finish college, this first season, I don't know where I will be. I might be another year in college or I might be in the NBA—I'm not sure.

So if it fits in perfectly with the timing, then I would love to do it.

Simmons averaged 19.2 points and 11.8 rebounds per game for the Tigers this year. In March, he announced that he would enter the 2016 NBA draft.

He is one of the best prospects in this year's class, and he's a good bet to go No. 1 overall. In his most recent mock draft, Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman slotted Simmons in as the first pick to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Playing in the Olympics likely wouldn't have jeopardized Simmons' stock, since the games take place after the June 23 draft. Still, one can understand why his focus would be firmly on the NBA season ahead rather than international competition.

Simmons will likely play in the NBA Summer League, which will be underway while international teams are making their final preparations for the Olympics.

The Boomers will be able to count on a few NBA stars—such as Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Matthew Dellavedova, Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut and San Antonio Spurs point guard Patty Mills—when they head to Rio de Janeiro.

Even without Simmons, Australia should have a strong chance to collect its first Olympic medal on the hardwood.