Michigan State transfer guard Divine Ugochukwu commits to LSU

LSU has landed a commitment from Michigan State transfer guard Divine Ugochukwu, he told On3.

The 6-foot-3 sophomore from Sugar Land, Texas averaged 5.1 points in 16.1 minutes per game this season for the Spartans. He scored a season-high 23 points against Penn State in December. Ugochukwu began his career at Miami, where he averaged 5.3 points per game as a freshman.

Ugochukwu becomes Will Wade’s third commitment this offseason since returning to Baton Rouge, joining Kentucky transfer forward Mouhamed Dioubate and international big man Marcio Santos.

Wade recently told CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein that he plans to utilize the international market to build out a good portion of his roster.

“This year, I’m going to lean a little heavier on the international route… Those kids have a lot of experience, there’s just some natural things they’ve learned over there that really help in college basketball and can translate to us in college basketball.”

Wade led LSU from 2017-2022 before being fired due to recruiting violations. He then accepted the head coaching job at McNeese, leading the Cowboys to back-to-back Southland titles and the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win.

After two seasons at McNeese, Wade took the NC State job, leading the Wolfpack to a 20-14 overall record and a First Four appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Following the season, LSU parted ways with Matt McMahon, paving the way for Wade’s return to Baton Rouge.