By Hunt Palmer
Matt McMahon’s LSU basketball team hit the hardwood for the squads first official practice Wednesday afternoon.
Shoes were squeaking. Coaches were clapping. Rims were rattling.
The practice was open to media who got a look at a group that includes six returners and six newcomers on scholarship.
McMahon returns guards Mike Williams and Tyrell Ward. The rest of the backcourt is flush with newcomers expected to make a big impact. Jordan Sears (Tennessee-Martin), Cam Carter (Kansas State), ands Dji Bailey (Richmond) transferred in. Freshmen Curtis Givens and Vyctorious Miller headlined a Top 25 signing class.
The frontcourt is long and athletic.
Jalen Reed and Derek Fountain return for their third years in the program. Damion Collins and Corey Chest are also back. Robert Miller III was a four star recruit out of the Houston area, and Noah Boyde was a late add to the roster from junior college.
Already the symmetry of the roster looks good. Six guards and six frontcourt players is how you’d ideally draw it up.
The Tigers have six weeks until they tip it off, but here are some observations from Wednesday’s workout.
Guard(ed) Optimism
In Matt McMahon’s first year, LSU’s guard play was nowhere near SEC standards. The group shot it poorly and couldn’t create much off the dribble, either. Plus, perimeter defense was an issue. Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln…
Last year there was improvement. Jalen Cook wasn’t quite the impact player many figured he could have been coming back from Tulane, but Jordan Wright played very well. Williams was a pleasant surprise as an unheralded recruit. Trae Hannibal played hard. Ward took strides.
This group looks to be the best McMahon has had.
Sears was a high level shooter and scorer at UT-Martin. He shot the ball well today and showed some hops in a couple of the drills. That will help a player listed at just 5-foot-11.
Coleman and Bailey are going to REALLY help LSU on defense. You’ll hear McMahon talk about that quite a bit over the next six weeks. Those two guys are 22-23-year-old men who aren’t afraid to get into a stance and guard somebody.
Vyctorious Miller and Givens really look the part. Neither is too thin. Both shot the ball well in the shooting drills. I think Givens could be a star in time. He just plays so well under control and looks smooth doing everything on the floor. There is a ton of veteran presence ahead of these two, so it remains to be seen how quickly they get to the floor.
Runnin’ Bigs
LSU’s frontcourt really runs well. That’s a modern basketball essential. Post players with anchors dropped on the block are a thing of the past for the most part.
Reed, Fountain, Collins, Chest and Miller can all really run the floor. We saw that Wednesday in the fast break drills. Boyde is not quite the athlete those guys are, but he is a seven-footer. Having one of those is perfectly acceptable if not preferable.
Chest really is the wild card here. You could convince me he’s a 25-minute guy who averages eight rebounds. You could convince me he’s the eleventh guy on the roster. He looks raw out here, but he’s a physical presence at 6-foot-8 and 220 lbs. He can really run and jump.
Healthy Hoopers
LSU is in really good shape as far as injuries are concerned. Collins is fully recovered from a shoulder issue that cut last season short. Bailey was the lone holdout from practice, but he’s mere days away from returning fully from a big toe issue. He was on the exercise bike Wednesday. Boyde had an ACL injury last year, but he was up and down the court with no issues.
