LSU basketball coach Will Wade is reportedly pursuing 25-year-old Israeli guard Yam Madar with an offer estimated at 5 million dollars, a move that CBS Sports says reflects the sense of desperation surrounding the Tigers' attempt to build a competitive 2026-27 roster.
Madar is a former second-round pick of the Boston Celtics in the 2020 NBA Draft and currently plays for Hapoel Tel Aviv in both the EuroLeague and the Israeli league. In 16 Israeli League games this season, he is averaging 11.1 points and 3.9 assists while shooting 33.9 percent from three-point range. The report came from an Israeli publication and has not been confirmed by LSU.
The core problem for LSU is eligibility. Madar has played professionally at the highest levels of Israeli and European basketball since the 2018-19 season. He will turn 26 early in the 2026-27 college basketball season. Even if he served in the Israeli military, his path to collegiate eligibility would face significant hurdles under current NCAA rules.
The NCAA Division I Cabinet is expected to discuss a proposal called the five for five rule later this week. The rule would allow players five years of eligibility beginning either with their high school graduation or their 19th birthday, with military service potentially treated as an exception. If enacted, the rule could simplify eligibility determinations for international players, which are currently handled case by case.
One reference point for how the NCAA might treat Madar's case is Tennessee guard Ethan Burg, who was classified as a 23-year-old sophomore for the 2025-26 season after serving two years in the Israeli military. If the same calculation were applied to Madar, he could potentially be classified as a senior.
LSU's roster situation for next season helps explain why Wade is looking as far as the EuroLeague. The Tigers have three transfers committed to what is ranked as the nation's 40th-ranked transfer class and two international players in the fold. For a program trying to compete at the high-major level, the gap between what they have and what they need appears to be driving an aggressive and expensive recruitment strategy.
