The conversations surrounding LSU men’s basketball going into 2024 have been filled with optimism, and Tigers head coach Matt McMahon can feel it. He knows it.
“I think there’s a great energy and excitement around the program,” said McMahon.
In McMahon’s first season as the head coach of the purple and gold in 2022, the team struggled. The Tigers finished 14-19 overall with an abysmal 2-16 record in SEC play.
“Obviously the first year was incredibly painful,” McMahon said.
Something had to change, and in 2023, something did.
LSU went 17-16, going 9-9 in conference play. It built momentum with key ranked SEC victories over No. 22 Ole Miss at home, No. 6 South Carolina on the road and No. 13 Kentucky in mind-numbing fashion with a walk-off buzzer-beater.
The Tigers’ season ended in a first round NIT exit against North Texas, but that didn’t stop McMahon and the rest of his staff from feeling the buoyancy and higher expectations going into his third year at the helm.
This year, McMahon has his eyes set on getting his squad to the NCAA Tournament in March. With incremental improvements over the past two seasons, the standard for LSU will continue to elevate until shown otherwise.
“We certainly didn’t come here to LSU to play in the NIT,” McMahon said. “Continuing to build the habits and dicipline and the winning culture will be necessary to get to the NCAA Tournament, which will continue to be a huge goal for us.”
When it comes to the on-court product, one of the biggest question marks is at center. Will Baker and Hunter Dean held down the big-man spot in 2023, but both graduated last spring.
So who exactly will step up to fill the Tigers’ gigantic hole? McMahon isn’t concerned.
“The game has changed,” McMahon said. “I think the days of needing a 6-foot-11, 275-pound bruiser down there, the way the game is played, are gone.”
What the LSU lack in size, they make up for in other areas. While the center position will most likely be a bit of a rotating door experiment early, McMahon seems willing to try something different in 2024, catering to his squad’s strengths.
“I think we really need to take advantage of our speed, athleticism and length to play up-tempo on both sides of the basketball. I think that’s the most fun way to coach, and players enjoy playing that way,” McMahon said. “I think it really makes a huge impact when you can recruit to an NBA style of play, and I know the fans love it, so I think we have great opportunities there to build an explosive offense with out team this year.
This offseason, LSU went into the portal and got multiple guys who could help them win. We got to see them in action for the first time on Wednesday.
The four LSU transfers are Jordan Sears, Cam Carter, Dji Bailey and Noah Boyde.
Sears transferred from UT Martin and ranked No. 9 in the nation for scoring averaging 21.6 points and shot 43% from three. LSU wanted a talented shot creator and they got one.
Carter came from Kansas State where he averaged 14.6 points per game a season ago. Carter’s strength comes from attacking the basket and being a solid on-ball defender.
Bailey transferred to LSU after four seasons with the Richmond Spiders. Last season, he undeniably had the best season of his career, averaging 10 points a game.
The Tigers needed size at the center position and that’s what they got from Boyde who stands at 7 feet tall. Boyde spent his last two seasons at McCook Community College in Nebraska where he averaged 11.2 points and 8.5 rebounds.
Boyde is still working his way back from an ACL injury, but, according to McMahon, he’s only a month away from being cleared and back to 100%.
The four freshmen did not play like freshmen. Whether it was redshirt freshman Corey Chest or true freshmen such as Vyctorius Miller and Curtis Givens III, they showed off what they could do.
Givens was controlling the ball for his team for the majority of practice and initiated the offense. He was beating talented defenders like Sears and sophomore Mike Williams III. Givens, a four-star recruit who was ranked the No.6 point guard in the country, has already gotten high praise from his coach.
“Curtis Givens has been everything we were expecting at the point guard position, McMahon said. “Just rock-solid consistency, relentless worker and he’s shooting the ball exceptionally well from three.”
Like McMahon, said he was indeed shooting the ball exceptionally well. Taking and making tough shots, he looked like one of the best shooters on the court.
Miller, another four-star recruit was attacking the basket and making contested layups. He was able to get to his spot on the court and knock down mid-range jump shots.
Chest redshirted his freshman year but now has a chance to see some serious playing time. The 6-foot-8 New Orleans native showed off his high motor by crashing the glass and running to the rim. He had an impressive putback dunk that will not go unnoticed.
Speaking of dunks, that department was all Daimion Collins.
The former five-star recruit who originally played at Kentucky before transferring to LSU in 2023 showed off his athleticism by catching and finishing multiple alley-oops.
Collins is a freak athlete and even on the defensive side affected the opposing team’s offense. Collins missed last season due to a shoulder injury and needed surgery. He’s someone that McMahon is looking forward to seeing on the court.
“Daimion Collins, I thought, had a great off-season, coming off the shoulder surgery that ended his season,” McMahon said. “He’s a once-in-a-lifetime athlete. I’ll never coach anyone else like him, so I want to see him really take advantage of his athleticism and his skill level to have a breakout season for us.”
However, the most impressive part of his game that was witnessed was his improved shooting. Collins took and made multiple corner threes, showing he can be an option to stretch the floor.
Overall, this team’s identity will be speed and pushing the ball down the court, as well as defensive intensity. Communication was a top priority on defense and guys like Williams and Sears made it their job to make sure everyone was on the same page.
While the X’s and O’s may be lining up for LSU in 2024, chemistry and culture will be crucial to this team’s success. McMahon understands that it’s not only his job to make his athletes the best basketball players they can be but to mold them into better men in every walk of life.
His group was heavily involved in the community throughout the offseason. McMahon and senior guard Trace Young, a recent star in Amazon Prime’s “The Money Game,” offered free Cane’s chicken fingers and rides to class to students walking around LSU’s campus this week.
After 25 years of coaching, McMahon understands the importance behind even the little day-to-day interactions with students and fans alike.
That human connection will help his Tigers pack the PMAC starting at the end of next month. That human connection will get more people invested in the team, while also teaching the players the importance of donning the three letters on the front of their jerseys and giving back to LSU and Baton Rouge as a whole.
The possibilities for the Tigers going into 2024 are endless, but one thing is for certain: McMahon knows that he’s producing not only better basketball players but also better men.
“You’re able to provide opportunities to players, and then, if you’re doing it right, you get to invest your time, energy, and effort to help them become the very best they can on and off the court,” McMahon said. “LSU provides the best platform in the country to do that. It’s the greatest brand in sports.”
