LSU lands a haymaker on Mark Pope by poaching away new Brazilian commit

New LSU head coach Will Wade wasn't kidding when he said he was going to prioritize international recruiting this offseason. And with that, a new commit has arrived, and it's also bad news for Mark Pope and Kentucky? You better believe it.

Will Wade reveals key reason he took the LSU job and NC State fans won't be happy

Moments ago, breaking news dropped that Brazilian big man Marcio Santos has committed to the Tigers. Pope recently flew to Israel to check in on the 6-9 playmaker, as he's a standout for Maccabi Tel Aviv. That trip proved to be a waste of time for him and his staff, as Santos is ready to make an immediate impact for the Tigers and Wade next season:

Overseas big man Marcio Santos has committed to LSU basketball

A 23-year-old with pro experience making his way to Baton Rouge? Yup, LSU fans will sign up for this any day of the week. This season in Israel, the new LSU commit poured in 6.9 points per game in EuroLeague action, only needing 14 minutes per contest to do so.

The fact that he shoots 40 percent from 3-point land makes this even better for Wade and the Tigers, as he'll be a key outside scoring threat from start to finish next season. At the same time, it must feel incredible for Wade to post an early recruiting win over a hated SEC rival like this.

In a recent interview with Jon Rothstein, Wade not only said he was going to be looking at international prospects, but he also added that having SEC resources was a big reason why he decided to leave NC State and return to LSU.

We're seeing that in action, as bringing in a player of Santos' caliber could not have been cheap. Oh, and Wade isn't even close to filling out his roster yet. In the coming weeks, we're expecting much more commitment news, but this Santos get sure is an intriguing one. What will the Brazilian stud be able to get done next season? LSU fans can't wait to find out.

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