Tag: Hunter Dean

Former LSU basketball star Will Baker signs international deal in Belgium

Will Baker becomes the second member of LSU’s 2023-24 roster to sign an international deal this week.

After going unselected in the 2024 NBA draft, former LSU basketball big man [autotag]Will Baker[/autotag] will be continuing his career overseas. On Wednesday, Baker agreed to a deal with the Windrose Antwerp Giants of the Belgian BNXT League.

Baker was a graduate transfer addition for LSU this season from Nevada, and he began his career at Texas. As the only Tiger to start all 33 games, Baker averaged 11 points and 4.8 rebounds in his lone season in Baton Rouge in 2023-24.

He was previously an All-Mountain West Third Team selection in 2023. He was a two-year starter for the Wolf Pack after transferring from Texas mid-season in 2021.

Baker becomes the second former LSU player to sign with an international team in as many days after his Tigers teammate and fellow transfer addition [autotag]Hunter Dean[/autotag] signed with a team in Slovakia on Tuesday.

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Former LSU basketball forward Hunter Dean signs international deal in Slovakia

Hunter Dean will continue his basketball career overseas.

Former LSU men’s basketball forward [autotag]Hunter Dean[/autotag] will continue his professional career overseas. On Tuesday, Dean signed a deal with BC Prievidza of the Slovak Extraliga.

Dean is a Mandeville, Louisiana, native who spent the last season at LSU after transferring from George Washington, where he started 48 games over three seasons. He began his career at Southern Mississippi, where he played as a freshman.

He appeared in 31 games this season for the Tigers, making the start on senior day when he finished with a season-high 12 points in 23 minutes against Missouri. He ended the season scoring in double figures in three straight games, including in the SEC tournament and the NIT.

In his lone season at LSU, Dean averaged 4.2 points and 3.1 rebounds.

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Instant Analysis: LSU men’s basketball finishes regular season on a high note with Senior Night win over Missouri

LSU will be the No. 8 seed at the SEC Tournament in Nashville next week.

LSU fittingly honored its seniors on Saturday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, beating Missouri 84-80 in the regular season finale.

Coach Matt McMahon’s team will enter the SEC Tournament at 17-14 with a 9-9 record in league play after finishing 2-16 a season ago. Missouri, meanwhile, finishes 0-18 in conference play in what has been a very disappointing campaign after reaching the NCAA Tournament last season.

LSU spent most of the first half playing from behind against Mizzou, which shot just 29% in the frame. However, the Tigers were even worse at 25%, and they found themselves in a 35-29 deficit at the half.

Missouri struggled to maintain that lead, however. LSU retook the lead in the opening minutes of the second half, and it went on to expand upon it. The Tigers led by as much as 21 with less than five minutes to play, and while Mizzou would cut into that lead and even get it within three with four seconds to play after some impressive shooting down the stretch, it was too little, too late.

[autotag]Trae Hannibal[/autotag] led the way with 24 points to go with five rebounds and five assists and [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] scored 10 as LSU went with an all-senior starting five. [autotag]Hunter Dean[/autotag] scored 12 with six rebounds in an elevated role, while [autotag]Will Baker[/autotag] scored seven with 10 rebounds. [autotag]Mwani Wilkinson[/autotag] also got to start, finishing with four points.

Coming off the bench, [autotag]Tyrell Ward[/autotag] scored 14 while [autotag]Mike Williams III[/autotag] totaled 10.

LSU will be the No. 8 seed in the SEC Tournament in Nashville next week and will begin its run on Thursday against No. 9-seeded Mississippi State.

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LSU men’s basketball dominates Bahamas in exhibition

LSU didn’t need a late comeback this time around.

After the Tigers needed a comeback to get past Puerto Rico in Monday’s exhibition from Paradise Island, Bahamas, coach Matt McMahon’s LSU men’s basketball team took care of business easily on Tuesday against the host nation.

The Tigers dominated the Bahamas in a 120-59 win, using a 21-0 run in the second quarter to overcome a slow start.

“I think we learned a lot from yesterday’s game when we kind of fell apart there in the third quarter,” McMahon said in a release. “I was just so pleased with the character of the team and with so many new faces we found a way to come together, get over the hump, get the stops we needed and had guys hit big shots for us as we found a way to win. I think that carried over into today’s game. I loved the unselfishness that we played with, having 27 assists. I thought after a slow start on the defensive end in the first quarter we were a lot more disciplined, active and aggressive on that side of the ball for the final three quarters.”

[autotag]Tyrell Ward[/autotag] led the team in scoring once again with 18 points on 6 of 7 shooting alongside big man [autotag]Will Baker[/autotag], who also scored 18 points on 8 of 11 shooting.

“I thought Will (Baker) showed his versatility,” McMahon said. “He scored off the drives from the elbow area. I thought what helped him get freed up inside was that he set a lot of great screens and that gave him the opportunity to create an angle in the post. The guys did a terrific job feeding the ball into him. I was pleased in the second half that we were able to cut our turnovers down, only six there. I thought we were a lot more fundamentally sound than the first three halves we have played here.”

[autotag]Carlos Stewart[/autotag] had 16 points, [autotag]Hunter Dean[/autotag] and [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] had 15, while true freshman [autotag]Corey Chest[/autotag] scored 10. [autotag]Trae Hannibal[/autotag] also nearly recorded a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds.

Sophomore forward [autotag]Jalen Reed[/autotag] also made his first appearance after missing most of the summer with a knee injury.

“It was great to see Jalen (Reed) back,” McMahon said. “He has missed most of the summer with an injury and just got back last week. He’s had really good individual workouts here and was cleared to play, so I thought you saw his improvement on the defensive glass that was really good today and his ability to put the ball on the floor and make plays for not only himself but others as well. Really happy and excited to see him back on the court.”

LSU will finish up its exhibition tour in the Bahamas on Thursday when it faces Argentinas Obras Sanitarias at 1 p.m. CT.

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LSU basketball tabbed a winner in transfer portal

Matt McMahon did some good work in the transfer portal this offseason.

LSU got active in the transfer portal yet again this year.

[autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag], who’s entering the second year of his rebuild, didn’t really have a choice. LSU lost a lot itself, and the Tigers need to add more talent as McMahon looks to mold the team in his image.

On3 named LSU a winner of the transfer period. The Tigers added [autotag]Jalen Cook[/autotag], [autotag]Will Baker[/autotag], [autotag]Carlos Stewart[/autotag], [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] and [autotag]Hunter Dean[/autotag].

Four of those five averaged double-digit scoring at their previous stop last season. Dean, the lone player below that mark, still averaged 8.7 points and 6.1 rebounds.

LSU’s getting much-needed production across the board.

On3 mentions that much of McMahon’s new talent is native to Louisiana. That could help LSU establish an identity within the state.

The most intriguing player in this class is the point guard, Cook.

The guard began his career at LSU under [autotag]Will Wade[/autotag] before flourishing at Tulane last year, where he averaged 19.9 points and 4.9 assists.

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LSU basketball lands big man transfer Hunter Dean from George Washington

Dean started 26 of 30 games for the Colonials in 2022-23, averaging 8.7 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 64.1% from the floor.

LSU men’s basketball coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] continues to rebuild his roster through the transfer portal after registering a losing season in a frustrating first campaign in Baton Rouge.

On Monday, the Tigers landed a commitment from George Washington transfer forward [autotag]Hunter Dean[/autotag]. A native of Mandeville, Louisiana, who will now return to his home state, Dean was a two-year starter with the Colonials.

He began his career at Southern Mississippi before transferring to GWU in 2020-21. He played in 11 games in his first season in Washington, D.C., and he started 18 of the final 19 games in 2021-22.

As a senior this past season, Dean started 26 of 30 games, averaging 8.7 points and 6.1 rebounds, both of which were career highs. He also shot an impressive 64.1% from the field and has a career shooting average north of 50%.

Landing the 6-foot-10 graduate transfer is a nice consolation after LSU missed out on Syracuse guard [autotag]Joe Girard[/autotag], who committed to Clemson over McMahon’s squad on Sunday.

Between Dean and Nevada 7-footer Will Baker, the Tigers have done a good job of restocking a frontcourt that saw [autotag]KJ Williams[/autotag] exhaust his eligibility and promising true freshman [autotag]Shawn Phillips[/autotag] enter the transfer portal.

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