In the first year of the McMahon era, the Bayou Bengals went 13-18 in the regular season. Their strong 12-1 start was followed by a 14-game losing streak which they managed to break with a win near the end of the season against Vanderbilt.

“Fortunately, I haven’t had losing streaks like this before and it has certainly been challenging,” McMahon said. “I think the goal is you learn a lot from it and changes that need to be made as you go forward.”

KJ Williams, this season’s leading scorer, played under McMahon at Murray State for four years. He hopes to see LSU’s chemistry improve as well as their ability to limit turnovers and keep energy up, which were struggles in their last home game against Mizzou. Williams believes that with a full season under McMahon’s belt and a few new recruits, next year fans can expect a better season from Coach and the Tigers.

“Most people kind of expected it but not like the way it’s going. Like I said, it’s a building block and he’s got to take it and expect better for next year,” Williams said. “They should be more hungry to not go back to what it was this year. I just think with the mindset with these guys now, it will be great especially with who comes in next year.”

Despite the disappointing year for Williams, he stands by McMahon as his coach and mentor. Building relationships with his players is important to Coach McMahon, and Williams believes this will set him up for success next season.

“It’s been a great experience with him mentoring me to become the player I am today on and off the court,” Williams said. “Him taking all the time out to pour all the things he knows in basketball and instilling it in me.”

In hopes of having success in the postseason, McMahon and the Purple and Gold will face the UGA Bulldogs in the first round of the SEC Tournament on Wednesday.