Matt McMahon excited about Year 3 at LSU

By Hunt Palmer

Each week on LSU Gameday, the LSU Sports Radio Network’s pregame show, I interview a head coach from another sport on campus. Saturday afternoon before LSU and South Alabama, LSU men’s basketball coach Matt McMahon joined me for a short chat. We covered LSU’s health entering practice, previewed the roster and discussed the strength of the SEC. You can listen to LSU Gameday each week two hour before kickoff on the LSU Sports Radio Network or on the LSU Sports mobile app.

On the team’s health entering practice…

Noah Boyde, our seven-footer, transfers in. Previously a Baylor signee. He’s about a month, six weeks out recovering from ACL surgery, but everyone else full go. We had a great first week. I’m really fired up about our group.

On his goal assembling the 2024 roster…

“I was really excited that we had already signed three Top 60 players in the country from the high school class. That’s how we want to build our program and then use the portal in areas of huge need. And when you look at our team a year ago, we really struggled on the perimeter defensively. We go and get three guys out of the portal. Cam Carter, elite defender on a Top 20 defense in the country at Kansas State. Dji Bailey who was the best defender in the Atlantic 10. And then Jordan Sears who was the only player in the country with 650 points, 140 rebounds, 140 assists and 75 threes, so we feel like we were able to address some of our perimeter needs there, both through the high school ranks and the portal.

On the backcourt…

Starting with the returners, Tyrell (Ward) really came on strong there at the end of the year, averaged double figures in SEC play. He finished third in the league in three-point shooting. Obviously had that great moment here in the PMAC with the buzzer beater against Kentucky. Mike Williams, right on the fringe of making the all-freshman team in the SEC. We expect him to make a big jump this year. Speaking of the high school guys, I know I already touched on the three portal guys, but Curtis Givens, Top 40 player in the country, just rock solid, was MVP of the national championship game in high school. And he’s off to a terrific start. And then Vyctorius Miller, 6’5”, really skilled guard, another Top 50 type player that I think is going to be really productive for us. He’s got great IQ, feel for the game, shoots it at a high level. Even this morning in practice was one of our top offensive rebounders. The cool thing about that is, two returning guards, two elite high school signees, three portal guys. There’s competition. Every doesn’t get to play. That’s just the reality. It’s made for some really competitive practices here in the early going.

On the front court…

I love the speed of our team. We were Top 25 in the country last year in tempo. We want to play an NBA type style and really get up and down the floor, and I think we’ve really improved our speed and quickness in the front court this year through recruiting. I can’t say enough about Jalen Reed. He’s been a monster so far. He’s 252 pounds right now. He’s built like a tank. He’s finishing at the basket. He’s done a good job of cutting down on some of those turnovers that plagued him at times last year. And we don’t have that 7-foot, 300-pounder to clog the lane, but we have great length and athleticism in the frontcourt, so we’ll tend to play that way both offensively and defensively this year.

On the strength of the SEC…

It’s awesome. You look back six or seven years ago, only three teams from this league got into the tournament. The third team was in a play in game. Now you look at the last two years, the most NCAA tournament births of any league, eight each year. You add Texas and Oklahoma, I can see 10 teams getting in this year. While the goal is not to play in the NIT, I think from where we started in year 2 to be in the NIT, to make the postseason, was a big step for us. But as I’ve told you many times we didn’t come here to play in the NIT. The next step for us is to get in that big dance and win games in the tournament.

Two years ago, Arkansas was the 10-seed in the SEC Tournament and went to the Sweet 16. Mississippi State last year had a losing record. They finished below us in the SEC and made the NCAA Tournament, so a lot of opportunities ahead for our program.

On recruiting on football gamedays…

There’s nothing better than a recruiting weekend in Death Valley. It’s an easy sell. You look at this out here, the atmosphere, the purple and gold. Really fired that up we’ve already added one commitment in this class, and we’re going to keep stacking** them into November.

**LSU added Mazi Mosley two days later