The LSU men’s basketball team recently concluded its best season in six years.
Now the Tigers are losing key ingredients to their success.
LSU sophomore forward Jarell Martin declared he will forego his final two years of eligibility and enter the 2015 NBA Draft, the Baton Rouge native announced Wednesday.
But Martin isn’t the only person leaving LSU on the heels of its best season since 2009. Assistant coach Eric Musselman, who was hired last summer, was offered and accepted the head coaching job at the University of Nevada-Reno, the school announced Wednesday morning.
Musselman, who was brought on coach Johnny Jones’ staff on June 15, will take over a Wolfpack program that went 9-22 last season and 5-13 in the Mountain West Conference.
The more impactful on-court loss for LSU was Martin, a former McDonald’s All-American out of Madison Prep who was perhaps the Tigers’ most vital player this season.
“This has not been an easy decision,” Martin read during his opening statement. “I want to thank my family, Coach Jones and all my great teammates. My experience at LSU has been a great one, and I now look forward to the challenges that are ahead.”
Martin said his family’s “financial situation” was a factor in his decision to leave LSU with two seasons of eligibility remaining but there was another personal reason.
“My dream has always been to play in the NBA, so it played hand-in-hand,” Martin said.
As a sophomore, Martin led the Tigers in scoring at 16.9 point per game, which ranked third in the Southeastern Conference. He was also the SEC’s third-leading rebounder with 9.2 boards per game, trailing only teammate Jordan Mickey for the LSU lead.
Even after Jones moved him closer to the paint midway through the season, Martin never abandoned his perimeter skills. Jones said Martin’s versatile skillset will benefit him on the professional level.
“When we moved him inside as a primary post guy, he did a great job of stretching the floor, which he’ll be doing in the NBA,” Jones said. “His ability to play on the perimeter helped him excel there at the four, and he was a tough matchup for anybody that we played.”
But Martin’s shift to the post paid dividends. In his last seven games, the 20-year-old averaged 21.1 points and 11 rebounds. Martin said how he played near the end of the season convinced him he was ready for the professional ranks.
“I put in a lot of work during the offseason to get me to this stage, and it showed during the season,” Martin said. “I went out there and played my heart, and I became more mature and responsible.”
Martin also had some advice for another player contemplating an early end to his LSU career — Mickey. Mickey issued a statement Tuesday saying he hadn’t decided whether to leave LSU for the NBA Draft. But Martin said his college teammate has made up his mind.
“I haven’t [talked to] Jordan, but he’s decided to leave too this year,” Martin said. “So the advice I give him is just to continue working hard in training. Give it your best effort out there, put your foot down and just train and get better.”
After a brief one-year stint in Baton Rouge, Musselman agreed to take over head coaching duties at Nevada, a resident of the MWC that has slumped to three consecutive losing seasons.
Musselman’s name popped up in other coaching vacancies, most notably at his alma mater, the University of San Diego.
Jones said LSU’s resurgent season may have helped Musselman acquire his head coaching gig.
“For us to have enough success that he was attractive enough for someone to really buy into him, we’re excited about that,” Jones said. “Just like the young men we have that leave the program, we have to find someone else.”
But with his family and teammates at the press conference, the day belonged to Martin, and Jones said he has no doubt his former star is ready for the NBA.
“We look forward to not only the challenges but the success that he will certainly have at the next level,” Jones said. “We know he is prepared, and he is ready for that next step.”
You can reach David Gray on Twitter @dgray_TDR