LSU Men’s Basketball Head Coach Matt McMahon addressed the media for the first time this season as he approaches his third season with LSU and his 25th year of coaching collegiate basketball.
After an impressive finish to the 2023-24 season, the primary focal point of the offseason was to continue the momentum and how to successfully build upon the foundations that have led to noticeable success on the court.
“I’m fired up about the direction,” Head Coach Matt McMahon said. “Obviously, the first year was incredibly painful and difficult. But [when] you look at last season, the way we were able to finish with great wins over really good programs… and [transferring] that into success on the recruiting trail and roster construction.”
With establishing a winning culture in such a competitive conference such as the SEC, the LSU Tigers have a strong core of players who have become familiar with the blueprints of the playbook and have the potential to improve even further.
“That’s one of the things I’m most excited about this year,” McMahon said. “Guys like Jalen Reed, Tyrell Ward, and Derek Fountain are entering their third year in the program. What kind of jump can they take going into year three?”
Having a combination of one of the most prominent recruiting classes in the nation and addressing immediate needs through the transfer portal, being content with mediocrity is not an option.
“We certainly didn’t come here to LSU to play in the NIT,” McMahon stated. “Continuing to build the habits and discipline and a winning culture, that’ll be necessary to get to the NCAA tournament.”
For the first time in a while, there seems to be genuine excitement and anticipation for the men’s basketball team from LSU students and fans alike.
“Every organization has a culture,” McMahon said. “We’ve tried to really establish a foundation of hard work, unselfishness, toughness and accountability that we feel leads to a lot of joy when you have the privilege of playing at a place like LSU.”
Fortunately, as the season quickly approaches, the Tigers are relatively healthy.
7’0 forward Noah Boyde is approximately a month away from being cleared after coming off an ACL injury that was repaired early last December.
Additionally, forward Daimion Collins had a rather impressive offseason. Collins is coming off a season-ending shoulder injury last season.
On Nov. 6, the LSU Tigers will face off against UL-Monroe in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center and are looking forward to putting on a show for the purple and gold faithful.
