LSU head coach Matt McMahon announced the news in a statement on Wednesday night.
The Tigers were coming off a top-75 win against Florida State on Tuesday night at the PMAC. It was a hard-fought, physical victory against one of the best defenses in the country. But even with the massive, energizing win, there was an even more significant loss.
LSU starting forward Jalen Reed landed awkwardly after a dunk early in the first half against the Seminoles. Trainers assisted Reed off the floor, and he never returned to the game. Reed tore his right ACL on Tuesday night, effectively ending his season eight games in.
“We are devastated for Jalen, as he has worked extremely hard in preparation for his junior year,” McMahon said in the statement. He is an absolute joy to coach and earned the role of captain from his teammates. We look forward to Jalen making a full recovery and continuing his successful basketball career.”
The Tigers had already been navigating the loss of Tyrell Ward, who McMahon announced was going to step away from the team for mental health reasons before the team’s tip-off game against Louisiana-Monroe.
“I do not anticipate him returning to competition this season,” McMahon said. “We are very appreciative of his contributions to our program and we will be supporting him every step of the way moving forward.”
LSU has already lost a starting guard and forward for the season, and we’re still two and a half weeks out from Christmas. But like the adversity the Tigers have faced on the floor this season, including four halftime deficits, McMahon’s men continued to scrap.
Replacing Reed in the starting five was fellow junior forward Daimion Collins. Sunday’s showdown against Florida Gulf Coast was the perfect opportunity for Collins to step up and steady the ship in his first career start, and he did that.
Collins finished 8-13 from the field, with five rebounds and three blocks to lead LSU in scoring on the afternoon with a career-high 18. points
“After coming off injury, stuff like that, I feel like I did a pretty good job,” Collins said. “My team put me in the right situation, you know, I go out there and do what I got to do.”
On Sunday, the purple and gold popped out with a powerful first half force. Cam Carter shot 4-6 (66.7%) from the field, including 3-4 (75%) from three, for a double-digit scoring first period (11).
Meanwhile, Dji Bailey refused to miss, shooting 4-4 from the field, including 2-2 from three, to notch an 11-point first half alongside Carter. His active, hands-on defense resulted in multiple fast-break opportunities.
“Dji Bailey just does a little bit of everything,” McMahon said. “I thought his steals that led to breakaway layups in the first half were huge.”
Going into Sunday, LSU was No. 26 in the nation in defensive rebounding. Without Reed, the Tigers are forced to look elsewhere for support on the defensive glass. Against the high-flying Eagles, LSU got their support in the form of Corey Chest. In his third straight start, Chest gobbled up 12 rebounds with 12 points, making Sunday’s contest his third consecutive game with double-digit rebounds and his first double-double of the season.
“I just feel like that’s what I do,” Chest said. “You know, when my teammates [are] driving, just crashing the boards, just getting that easy putback and stuff, you know, just creating high-energy plays throughout the game.”
This Tiger squad played a complete game. All five starters, Jordan Sears, Collins, Carter, Bailey and Chest, finished with double figures in a collaborative 80-71 victory over Florida Gulf Coast, which moved the team to 8-1 on the season and 6-0 at home.
“We’ll keep getting better,” McMahon said. “Identify how we need to best perform going forward from a strategy and scheme standpoint, as our roster has changed a bit here, and then we have a great opportunity on Saturday.”
With conference play less than 30 days away, LSU’s No. 1 focus is to stack up as many wins as possible in November and December. While it’s easy to look ahead in the SEC, the country’s most challenging conference, the Tigers must continue to outperform the teams in front of them.
LSU will look to build on its four-game winning streak when it plays SMU in the Compete 4 Cause Classic at the Commerce Center in Frisco, Texas, on Saturday.