Will Wade won't talk about RJ Luis Jr. a day after a judge cleared him to play for LSU

A judge handed Will Wade a way to play RJ Luis Jr. on Wednesday. On Thursday, the LSU coach made it clear he isn't taking it, at least not out loud.

"I'd like to talk about some eligibility stuff, but I'm not talking about that. I can't talk about that in light of what happened yesterday," Wade said at the start of his press conference, according to WBRZ. "I think I've made my stance very clear on things, and my stance has not changed. And I will be happy to talk about the 14 guys that are on our roster."

Luis is not one of those 14.

Wednesday's ruling from state District Judge Ronald R. Johnson in East Baton Rouge Parish expanded an August injunction against the NCAA to cover the SEC and LSU, the Associated Press reported. It temporarily bars the SEC from punishing LSU if Luis plays, and it bars LSU from citing SEC rules as a reason not to play him. It runs until a hearing tentatively set for Nov. 13.

That puts Wade in a box. He recruited Luis, then said he would follow SEC protocols. The SEC has ruled Luis ineligible because he went through the NBA draft process and spent time with the Utah Jazz and Boston Celtics during the 2025 offseason and preseason. The NCAA says the same. Luis never played in an NBA game, and his lawyers argue he is no more a pro than overseas players who get NCAA waivers.

The SEC has also shown what it will do. In September the conference said its commissioner can suspend coaches, fine a school up to half of a sport's budget and limit its voting rights for breaking this rule. Under threat of being voted out of the league, LSU chose that month not to add two football players who had spent time with NFL teams, the AP reported.

Luis' lawyer Tony Clayton said Thursday that if LSU doesn't put Luis on the roster, he will keep pushing in court.

So the ruling did not settle much. A court says LSU can play him. The conference says it can't. Wade, who wanted him in the first place, won't say a word. LSU opens Tuesday at 7 p.m. against LSU-New Orleans at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, and the roster for that game will say more than Wade did.