LSU loses freshman forward Shawn Phillips to transfer portal

The Tigers have now seen five players from last year’s team depart via the portal.

LSU men’s basketball continues to take some tough losses to the transfer portal following a frustrating first season under coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag].

True freshman forward [autotag]Shawn Phillips[/autotag] — a 7-foot former four-star prospect from Dayton, Ohio — became the latest LSU player to put his name in the portal on Thursday.

Phillips appeared in 20 games in his lone season in Baton Rouge, and though he didn’t make any starts, he saw increased playing time down the stretch. His lone double-figure scoring game came against Georgia in the SEC tournament, when he totaled 13 points.

On the year, Phillips averaged 1.4 points and 2.1 rebounds.

Phillips’ loss doesn’t look like a huge one on its face, but he was a promising young prospect who showed signs of progress down the stretch and could have competed for a starting spot next season with [autotag]KJ Williams[/autotag] moving on.

Now, LSU has to replace yet another key player heading into what will be a pivotal second season for McMahon. LSU has lost five players to the portal, including two from its 2022 high school signing class.

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