Tag: jalen cook

LSU guard Jalen Cook declares for 2024 NBA draft

Jalen Cook returned to LSU after two years at Tulane, but he was injured and later suspended down the stretch.

LSU and former Tulane guard [autotag]Jalen Cook[/autotag] is entering the 2024 NBA draft, he told CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein on Monday. Cook does have remaining eligibility and will have the opportunity to return to school after testing the draft waters, provided he hires an NCAA-approved agent.

Cook, a native of Walker, Louisiana, began his career at LSU before transferring to Tulane. After earning back-to-back First Team All-AAC honors with the Green Wave, he returned to Baton Rouge this season.

He was initially expected to sit out the 2023-24 season as a two-time transfer, but he received eligibility from the NCAA in mid-December.

Cook appeared in 13 games, making nine starts while averaging 15.6 points and 2.8 assists. However, he battled a leg injury down the stretch and was later suspended by coach Matt McMahon for reasons that were never disclosed.

If Cook opts to return to college basketball for a fifth and final season, it’s unclear if he will return to LSU or re-enter the transfer portal for a third time.

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LSU men’s basketball lands first transfer portal commitment from Kansas State’s Cam Carter

The Tigers have landed their first commitment from the transfer portal this offseason.

After the conclusion of Year 2 under coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag], which saw the Tigers’ season end in the first round of the NIT against North Texas, LSU has landed its first men’s basketball transfer portal commitment of the cycle.

On Friday, Kansas State guard [autotag]Cam Carter[/autotag] announced his commitment to the Tigers, according to On3’s Joe Tipton. Carter finished his high school career in Virginia, but he’s a native of Donaldsonvile, Louisiana.

He’ll be making his return to the SEC after spending one year at Mississippi State before he spent the last two years in Manhattan, Kansas, with the Wildcats.

Carter was a rotational player with the Bulldogs but started all 70 games he appeared in at Kansas State. He averaged 14.6 points, five rebounds and 2.5 assists this season.

It’s a major pickup for the Tigers, which are set to lose both [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] and [autotag]Trae Hannibal[/autotag] as well as possibly [autotag]Jalen Cook[/autotag] from the backcourt.

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LSU guard Jalen Cook suspended for violation of team rules, Matt McMahon announces

Jalen Cook has missed the last five games and is now suspended for failing to meet “team requirements.”

LSU guard [autotag]Jalen Cook[/autotag] hasn’t appeared in a game since a loss to Florida on Feb. 13, and it seems that absence will continue.

On Monday, coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] announced that Cook is currently suspended from the team for failing to meet “team requirements.” Cook initially missed four games with a leg injury, but he was not with the team on the road for Saturday’s victory against Vanderbilt.

Trae Hannibal has been starting in Cook’s place.

A native of Walker, Louisiana, Cook began his career at LSU but transferred following his true freshman season and spent two years at Tulane. He returned in 2023-24 but was forced to sit out the first 10 games as a two-time transfer.

Cook’s loss is significant as he currently leads LSU in points per game (15.6) and assists per game (2.8).

McMahon also announced that guard [autotag]Carlos Stewart[/autotag] (knee soreness) isn’t likely to return this season while [autotag]Daimion Collins[/autotag] (dislocated shoulder) is taking a medical redshirt but is expected to be back healthy next season.

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Instant Analysis: LSU men’s basketball drops heartbreaker against Florida

LSU erased a 20-point second-half deficit, but it wasn’t enough to get a statement road win.

LSU’s men’s basketball team very nearly completed a remarkable comeback in Gainesville against Florida on Tuesday night.

After trailing by 20 points in the second half, the Tigers fought back to tie the game in the final minute. Trailing by two as the final seconds ticked away, guard [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] had a wide-open lane to the basket but rushed his shot, leaving it short as the Gators held on for an 82-80 win.

LSU had a nice start to the game offensively, but the Gators were even better. They sunk their first six shots and hit eight of their first 11, holding on to a slim 19-15 lead by the under-12 timeout in the first half.

Florida ultimately finished the half shooting 66.7%, stretching a 14-point lead heading into the locker room thanks to a buzzer-beater long two from guard Zyon Pullin.

LSU particularly struggled to defend Walter Clayton Jr., who had 14 points in the half. Will Baker led the Tigers with 13 points in the frame, but the team shot just 41.9%, though 5-of-12 three-point shooting helped them hang around.

Florida dominated early in the second half, leading 60-40 at one point. But the Gators went cold, and some clutch shooting from the Tigers got them back in the game, particularly [autotag]Jalen Cook[/autotag] — who scored 12 for the night and 10 points in the second half.

The Tigers ultimately outshot Florida 51%-49%, but they left points at the charity stripe as they were just 13 of 21 on free throws. Wright and [autotag]Will Baker[/autotag] ultimately led the team with 16 points each.

LSU missed opportunities to steal this one; a turnover down one with 25 seconds to go stands out. It also was dominated on the boards with a 43-29 rebounding margin

Now, the Tigers fall to 12-12 (4-7 SEC) after dropping their last three and six of their last seven. They’ll be back in action on Saturday with another tough road game against a ranked South Carolina team.

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PHOTOS: LSU men’s basketball tough stretch continues with home loss to Alabama

The Tigers have now lost five of their last six.

The LSU men’s basketball team was competitive for a while at home on Saturday against the No. 16-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, but despite trailing by just three at the half and even led with just over nine minutes to play, ‘Bama pulled away to a convincing 109-92 win.

It was another big game for [autotag]Will Baker[/autotag], who led the team with 24 points, and [autotag]Jalen Cook[/autotag], who scored 20 in his return to the court. LSU shot 55% as a team in this one, but the Tide had an effective game as well.

Mark Sears and Latrell Wrightside Jr. each scored more than 20 points for Alabama, and coach Nate Oats’ team won the rebounding battle 43-31.

Here are the photos as LSU basketball has now lost five of its last six.

Instant Analysis: LSU overpowered in road loss to No. 6 Tennessee

The Tigers rallied in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to erase the big early hole they found themselves in on the road.

LSU’s men’s basketball team ultimately couldn’t keep the momentum from the Arkansas win going on the road against a top-10 opponent. The Tigers fell at Tennessee 88-68, dropping to 12-10 on the year and 4-5 in SEC play.

With [autotag]Jalen Cook[/autotag] unavailable, LSU had about the worst start to the game possible. Tennessee jumped out to an early 13-0 lead, and while the Tigers would respond to cut the deficit to just six, they couldn’t hold off the Volunteers for long.

The Vols shot 58.1% with three players scoring in double figures, led by Dalton Knecht, and LSU struggled to keep up with a sub-40% shooting percentage as Tennessee raced out to a 50-27 halftime lead.

LSU would not go down without a fight in the second half, however. It trailed by 23 at the nine-minute mark, but a 13-0 run cut the Tennessee lead to just 10.

However, the Tigers never got it back within single digits as the Volunteers pulled away to a 20-point win in the final minutes after shooting above 50% for the game.

LSU had an encouraging performance on the boards, outrebounding the Vols 40-26 as [autotag]Trae Hannibal[/autotag] led the way with 11, but it shot just 41.4%. Only [autotag]Will Baker[/autotag] (16 points) and [autotag]Derek Fountain[/autotag] (11) scored in double figures.

Tennessee, meanwhile, had four. LSU had particular difficulty containing Knecht, who went off for a game-high 27 points.

It’s a disappointing loss, but it’s one LSU can’t dwell on as it has another huge opportunity coming up on Saturday when it hosts Alabama, which is coming off a road loss to rival Auburn on Wednesday night.

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Matt McMahon discusses switching the starting lineup in Arkansas win

The main objective is to find a way to win. That is exactly what LSU accomplished on Saturday.

Before the LSU Tigers took on the Arkansas Razorbacks last Saturday, Tigers head coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] decided to make a change to the starting lineup. he decided to start [autotag]Trae Hannibal[/autotag] and have [autotag]Jalen Cook[/autotag] come off of the bench.

The lineup change did not seem to affect Cook at all as he had a great game. He finished with 20 points, three assists, and three rebounds in 20 minutes and 52 seconds on the court. Cook was 5-for-8 from the floor, 3-for-5 behind the three-point line, and 7-for-7 from the charity stripe.

After the game, McMahon was asked what his thought process was on making the change before the game.

“Just a coach’s decision,” McMahon said, per On3. “I thought we needed to change. Really, that’s all there is to it.

“I think, sometimes, everyone gets so concerned – ‘Who starts?’, ‘Who does this?’, ‘Who does that?’. The ultimate goal is just, for us, to find ways to win. And for each player to perform at their very best,” McMahon stated. “So, sometimes? You change.”

The main objective is to find a way to win. That is exactly what LSU accomplished.

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Will Baker credits teammates for hot start in win over Arkansas

Will Baker led the team with 25 points, converting on 9 of his 11 looks on Saturday.

LSU jumped out to a big early lead against Arkansas at home on Saturday, and it never looked back en route to a crucial 95-74 win that ended a three-game losing streak.

Forward [autotag]Will Baker[/autotag] was a major reason for that hot start. Baker led the team with 25 points, making 9 of his 11 attempts from the field including a 7 of 8 showing in the second half. He was even effective from long range, attempting five threes and sinking four of them.

Baker credited his teammates for allowing him to get in the zone early.

“My teammates found me on a corner three,” he said, per On3’s Matthew Brune. “I got in a rhythm early and I definitely think that helped me. All credit to my teammates because they kept finding me when I was open. I just stepped in and shot it.”

Baker wasn’t the only Tiger who got hot from three-point range. The team shot 12 of 23 from downtown as a whole, and it had 17 assists overall in the win.

“We have a lot of talent on the team,” guard [autotag]Jalen Cook[/autotag], who scored 20 coming off the bench, said. “We can spread it around. (Will) Baker can step out and shoot the three. We have a lot of three-point shooters. Mike Williams can shoot it. We have some shooters, so we just try space the floor out and attack.”

Baker concurred with Cook’s assessment.

“Like (Jalen) Cook said, we have shooters so that allows us to space the floor,” Baker said. “When you have threats like that it allows us to be able to drive and kick out to find more open looks. It just builds on itself. When one guy is a threat, he can drive and kick it to another shooter.”

The Tigers will hope that trend is one they can build on with a crucial road matchup against Tennessee coming up in the midweek.

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PHOTOS: LSU men’s basketball beats Arkansas 95-74 to end 3-game skid

The Tigers will now gear up for a critical road matchup against Tennessee.

The LSU men’s basketball team got back on track on Saturday at home against a struggling Arkansas team, ending a three-game skid with a convincing 95-74 win.

[autotag]Will Baker[/autotag] had a huge game, scoring 25 points on 9 of 11 shooting, while [autotag]Jalen Cook[/autotag] scored 20 and Jordan Wright and [autotag]Mike Williams III[/autotag] each scored 13.

The Tigers shot north of 50% for the game and dominated throughout, holding a 15-point lead at the half. Arkansas never led after 2-0.

LSU will now prepare for a major opportunity as it hits the road to take on a Tennessee team that ranks in the top five nationally on Wednesday. For now, here are the photos from Saturday’s decisive win.

Instant Analysis: LSU men’s basketball rolls against Arkansas to end losing streak

The Tigers ended a three-game skid with a convincing home win against the struggling Razorbacks.

LSU’s men’s basketball ended a three-game skid in SEC play on Saturday at home, beating Arkansas 95-74 in a morning showdown as the Tigers move to 12-9 overall and 4-4 in league play.

LSU had a red-hot start offensively, hitting 8 of its first 9 shots from the field and five of its first six threes. A lot of that production came from [autotag]Will Baker[/autotag], who was dominant in the half and scored 17 points on 7 of 8 shooting including 3 of 4 from three-point range.

The Tigers stretched out a lead as big as 21 points, but they allowed Arkansas to cut that deficit down before half. The Hogs ended the period on a 6-0 run, but they still faced a 45-30 deficit heading into the locker room.

The second half was more of the same for LSU, which managed to stretch its lead out as wide as 28 points. Baker finished with 25 points, hitting 9 of his 11 shots from the field, while [autotag]Jalen Cook[/autotag] scored 20 and [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] added 13.

The Tigers managed to recapture some momentum heading into a crucial road matchup on Wednesday night against a Tennessee team that currently ranks fifth in the nation.

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