Tag: Jalen Reed

LSU loses center Kendal Coleman to the transfer portal

Coleman averaged just eight minutes this season after transferring in from Northwestern State.

After a frustrating first season for the Tigers under coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag], it was expected to be an offseason of change. That has been the case so far as LSU lost starting point guard [autotag]Justice Hill[/autotag] to the transfer portal, and he’s been joined by a depth player in the frontcourt.

Center [autotag]Kendal Coleman[/autotag] will be heading elsewhere after one season in Baton Rouge. A transfer addition last offseason from Northwestern State, Coleman averaged a double-double in 2021-22 but couldn’t carry that success to the SEC.

He averaged just eight minutes per game this season with just 2.3 points and 2.1 rebounds, and he’ll hope he can get a bigger opportunity elsewhere. His departure puts a lot of impetus on the development of younger players in the frontcourt like [autotag]Jalen Reed[/autotag] and [autotag]Shawn Phillips[/autotag].

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What to make of Matt McMahon’s tough first year at LSU

Matt McMahon’s first year at LSU is done. Where do the Tigers go from here?

The NCAA Tournament is set to begin soon, and LSU won’t be in it.

That’s different from these last few years. With [autotag]Will Wade[/autotag], aside from the COVID year, LSU fans got used to watching basketball in March.

The Tigers have made the last three NCAA Tournaments.

LSU never made a special run at a Final Four, though there was a Sweet 16 appearance. But after several years of struggles, the tournament appearances were enough to satisfy LSU fans in an ever improving SEC.

There was even an SEC title throw in there too.

Stars from those teams have now found success in the NBA, whether it be [autotag]Naz Reid[/autotag] or [autotag]Cam Thomas[/autotag].

LSU finished dead last in the SEC this year. Wade was let go a year ago after LSU received a notice of allegations and in the wake of it, LSU basketball has tripped, stumbled and fallen.

Several players from Wade’s team transferred out. At one point, LSU was without any scholarship player on the roster. LSU hired [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] from Murray State and he recouped some of the losses. Most notably, he convinced guard [autotag]Adam Miller[/autotag] to return.

McMahon brought a number of his players from a good Murray State team too, along with a couple of blue-chip recruits.

Things didn’t look that bad anymore. The team wasn’t overflowing with talent but it had experienced players who had won at a high level. LSU started 5-0 and moved to 12-1. LSU finished off December with a win over No. 9 ranked Arkansas.

Following the Arkansas win, fans celebrated McMahon’s quick turnaround. The group had gelled fast, and LSU was going to compete for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

In the next game, the Tigers put up a fight on the road at Kentucky. Not a win, but more evidence the program was trending up and worthy of conference-wide attention.

Then it started to crumble. LSU lost by seven on the road to a Texas A&M team that turned out to be pretty good. Still not the end of the world. Then LSU lost again, to a Florida team that frankly, wasn’t that good.

LSU then lost again and again and again. A team that was 12-1 was 12-15 and any hope for postseason play had long disappeared.

You could chalk that 12-1 start up to mostly weak opponents. But Arkansas is No. 19 in KenPom, and the Tigers beat a Wake Forest team that won 19 games.

LSU’s lone loss in that stretch was by two points to a Kansas State team that’s 23-9. It really doesn’t make sense. But that’s how Year 1s are sometimes. This was a team with a new coach at a new place that’s never played together before.

This season is now in the rearview mirror. I don’t want to get caught up on diagnosing every issue.

Where does LSU go from here?

There’s sure to be plenty of turnover again. [autotag]KJ Williams[/autotag], LSU’s best player, will be gone. He was responsible for so much of LSU’s production this year.

Replacing him in a normal situation will be tough. Replacing him in a rebuild, even tougher.

McMahon was hired as a developmental guy. [autotag]Scott Woodward[/autotag] didn’t turn to the proven Power Five winner like he did with football and baseball. With McMahon, Woodward’s playing the long game and the contract McMahon received reflects that.

McMahon signed three four-stars last cycle: [autotag]Tyrell Ward[/autotag], [autotag]Jalen Reed[/autotag] and [autotag]Shawn Phillips[/autotag]. That’s LSU’s future core. It’s pivotal that McMahon holds on to them.

If they leave, that’s when I’d start questioning if McMahon is right for this rebuild.

The pieces for improvement are here. You just have to believe McMahon is a guy capable of developing at LSU like he did at Murray State.

You don’t need elite recruiting classes to win in college basketball. Teams have made runs strictly on developing players.

McMahon added a slew of transfers last year and getting their veteran presence back would be nice, but LSU needs to mine talent in the portal, especially at the guard position.

LSU has a couple of top 200 recruits on their way in. [autotag]Corey Chest[/autotag] and [autotag]Mike Williams[/autotag]. Based on how McMahon treated the freshmen this year, don’t expect a ton from them next year.

It’s too early to make big declarations on what the roster could look like. This is still a program in flux, and in this era, anything can happen.

This offseason, even more so than last, is critically important for McMahon and staff. Last year was excusable. Finishing last in the SEC again next year won’t be.

This is the new SEC. It doesn’t matter if you’re a football school. Athletic departments with money are expected to be relevant in basketball.

Fans want to see this program competing for conference titles once again.

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LSU’s Jalen Reed listed among top freshmen in the SEC

On3 listed Reed among the top-10 true freshmen in the SEC entering the 2022-23 season.

Between the transfer portal and the 2022 recruiting class, coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] immediately brought a stable of talent to LSU’s depleted roster.

In addition to landing several experienced players in the portal, he also added the No. 15 recruiting class in college basketball in 2022. That group of four players is headlined by [autotag]Jalen Reed[/autotag], a 6-foot-10 power forward from southern California who 247Sports rated as the No. 69 player in the class.

On3’s Jamie Shaw recently released his list of the 10 top true freshmen in the SEC, and Reed came in at No. 10. Small forward [autotag]Tyrell Ward[/autotag], who 247Sports actually ranks higher than Reed, was listed among the other names to watch.

Height/Weight: 6-10/230
High School: Los Angeles (CA) So Cal Academy
On3 Consensus: No. 61

Jalen Reed simply moves in a way many 6-foot-10 players do not. Another player that On3 was higher on than the industry consensus. The late-blooming big is the son of former SEC player of the year Justin Reed (Ole Miss). Reed grew three or four inches in his last two years of high school, so he is still coming into his own physically.

There is depth on the LSU roster, so immediate playing time may not be necessary. But LSU head coach Matt McMahon could have a tough time keeping Reed off the floor by the end of the season. It may not happen immediately, but it may; watch for him to catch NBA personnel’s eyes too.

When LSU takes the court this fall, there will be a lot of new faces, including in the starting lineup. This team acquired quite a bit of talent this offseason, but Reed’s size (and athleticism relative to it) could make him a key part of the rotation as a true freshman.

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LSU basketball picks up another blue-chip commitment for 2022

McMahon has now added the fourth high school recruit to the 2022 class as part of his quick turnaround.

Much has been said about the pace at which Tigers coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] has rebuilt the roster in Baton Rouge.

He salvaged what appeared to be one of the worst situations in the Power Five in just a matter of weeks, and the future looks fairly bright all of the sudden. Things look even brighter now, as McMahon has picked up his fourth commit in the 2022 cycle in [autotag]Shawn Phillips Jr.[/autotag]

The 6-foot-10 center from Dream City Christian in Glendale, Arizona, was previously committed to North Carolina State, signing back in November. But he was released from his letter of intent after the departure of assistant Mike Summey, and he reopened his recruitment.

He took an official visit to Baton Rouge on May 7 after listing LSU among a top five which also included Georgetown, Kansas State, Miami and Overtime Elite.

He’s a four-star recruit and the No. 111 player (and No. 20 center) in the 2022 recruiting class. After the Tigers saw each of their commits in the class depart following the firing of Will Wade, McMahon has put together a class that ranked No. 17 before Phillips’ addition and is sure to jump even more now.

Phillips is the third blue-chip addition to that group, joining top-100 prospects in [autotag]Tyrell Ward[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Reed[/autotag].

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Matt McMahon is rebuilding LSU basketball at lightning speed

McMahon has turned the program around in a very short amount of time.

Two months ago, LSU basketball was in shambles. Every scholarship player had entered the transfer portal, and the rebuild ahead looked as messy as any in recent memory.

There was speculation that some big names wouldn’t even accept the job because of the position the program was in. Not only had every player left, but NCAA sanctions were looming (and they still are).

LSU is a big-time athletics program, but in basketball, it’s far from a blue blood. The program doesn’t recruit itself like Duke or Kentucky does.

When [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] took the job, he was staring down the impossible. Nobody expected much out of him for his first year or two on the job — hence the seven-year contract given to him providing security and breathing room.

The roster McMahon was going to be working with during his first season was supposed to be a collection of mid-major transfers, three-star recruits, and maybe a couple of guys that followed him from Murray State. Whatever that expectation was, McMahon has far exceeded it.

McMahon was able to bring three of his players from Murray State in [autotag]Justice Hill[/autotag], [autotag]KJ Williams[/autotag], and [autotag]Trae Hannibal[/autotag].

That trio makes up three of the top four scorers from a Murray State team that went 31-3. Williams led the team in scoring with 18 points/game on his way to winning conference player of the year.

Hill averaged 13.4 points and 5.1 assists per contest as a sophomore and Hannibal proved to be a solid piece as well with 9.2 points and 5.1 rebounds on average.

Murray State didn’t face top competition, but a 31-3 record is a 31-3 record no matter the schedule, and McMahon brought the core with him.

Then there are the guys McMahon has gotten out of high school, which might be his most impressive feat considering how late in the game it is for the 2022 recruiting class. So far, the Tigers have added forwards [autotag]Tyrell Ward[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Reed[/autotag].

Ward is a four-star on average, but On3 has him slated as a five-star. Regardless, he’s a top recruit and there were a lot of people who didn’t think LSU would be landing players of Ward’s caliber again for a few years.

Reed was another big get, ranking as one of the 10 best power forwards in his class.

All of this was cemented last week when [autotag]Adam Miller[/autotag] announced he’d be returning to LSU. Miller transferred from Illinois prior to last season but tore his ACL before the year even started. When Miller went down, LSU’s offense took a large hit that was evident throughout the year.

If he was healthy last season, it’s likely that LSU doesn’t go home in the first round. That team was one scorer away from being dangerous. With Miller back in the fold, the talented freshman, and the guys from Murray State, McMahon is now working with a competent roster.

Along with Miller, McMahon also managed to get [autotag]Mwani Wilkinson[/autotag] and [autotag]Justice Williams[/autotag] back from the portal, two players who are likely to contribute next season. Wilkinson, despite having a limited role, was a starter last year.

McMahon has proven he can get the most out of his team, and if he gets the most out of this one, is it crazy to see LSU as an eight or nine seed? Of course, they’d have to avoid a postseason ban, but crazier things have happened in this sport.

McMahon took over a program in dire straits and has already laid a foundation. If this track continues, it’s not hard to see a scenario where he keeps LSU basketball relevant at a time when it looked like that relevancy was fading.

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The Athletic doesn’t think too highly of Florida’s Todd Golden hire

The Athletic is a bit more lukewarm on the Todd Golden hire than others.

College basketball has seen a great deal of turnover at the head coach position in 2022 and the Florida Gators were among the many to refresh its bench with a new name. Though the transition from the [autotag]Mike White[/autotag] era was anything but smooth, the Orange and Blue quickly found their man in [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag], a young up-and-comer with a strong focus on analytics and an NBA-style approach to the game.

The jury is still out on the hire, but that has not prevented anyone from opining on the move, including the Gators Wire staff who gave its roundtable take a month ago. Along with Sports Illustrated, which was bullish on the decision to bring Golden to Gainesville, The Athletic’s Brian Hamilton also graded out the many coaching changes.

Hamilton had a less optimistic view on things, placing the move in the middle of the road at Tier 3 (out of a total of five tiers). Here is how he justified his grade.

From the outset, the 36-year-old Golden appeared to be a top target for Florida administrators. He’s one of the keener analytics-heavy minds in college hoops and has a self-assured, serrated sideline personality to boot. (The worst epithet in a Golden program is “soft.”) Best-case? Florida found another [autotag]Billy Donovan[/autotag]. The enormous variable is fit. Golden is basically a lifelong West Coast guy — an Arizona native who played at Saint Mary’s and coached at San Francisco the last five years. He spent four years combined on staff at Columbia and Auburn, but that’s comparatively a blip. Golden has one season of SEC recruiting experience, though he and his staff are off to a decent start: They held on to four-star 2022 signee [autotag]Jalen Reed[/autotag] and landed two well-regarded transfers ([autotag]Alex Fudge[/autotag] and [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag]). Many more brawls to come, though. It’s odd. Florida fans should be happy with the search while also remaining curious, fairly, about where the on-floor results will land on the spectrum: Boom or bust or dang near anything in between.

Hamilton is not wrong about the boom-or-bust breadth of the hire, but given the direction the college game is heading and the importance of preparing players for the next level, Golden offers a higher probability of success than failure despite his lack of big-time experience as a head coach. If nothing else, the brand of basketball he brings to the O’Connell Center is one that the fans will enjoy and that is something the Gator Nation can get behind.

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Gators hoops prospect reopens recruitment, still considers UF ‘home’

Seems like with good news always comes the swing of the pendulum in the other direction.

Not long after Florida basketball got word that former VMI point guard Trey Bonham would be joining the team through the transfer portal, effectively replacing the departing [autotag]Tyree Appleby[/autotag], it got some bad news from the recruiting front on Monday. Power forward signee [autotag]Jalen Reed[/autotag] of the 2022 prospect class announced on Twitter that he is reopening his recruitment, though has not ruled out UF as his final destination.

“2022 has brought many changes and after much consideration, I have decided to reopen my recruitment,” according to Reed’s Twitter post. “I am open to the many possibilities while still considering The University of Florida as my college home.”

The 6-foot-10-inch, 220-pound prep prospect from Castaic, California, was considered a four-star prospect in the 2022 class, sitting at No. 75 overall according to the 247Composite, while ranking as the No. 16 power forward as well as the No. 10 player in the state of California. Reed committed to the Orange and Blue in late October and officially signed during the early period in November, choosing Florida over Ole Miss, Arizona State, Maryland, and Oklahoma.

Reed is the second player from the 2022 recruiting class to have cold feet about their commitment, joining five-star prospect [autotag]Malik Reneau[/autotag], who also announced Monday that he is joining the Indiana Hoosiers. That leaves combo guard [autotag]Denzel Aberdeen[/autotag] as the lone remaining commit from the class currently planning on suiting up for [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag]’s team next season.

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Where does Florida basketball stand? The Athletic breaks down current roster

The Athletic broke down Florida basketball’s current roster while giving fans an idea of what holes head coach Todd Golden is trying to fill.

New Florida head coach [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] earned his first significant victory when he convinced center [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag] to return for a fifth season. He was Florida’s leading scorer, rebounder and shot-blocker last season.

However, Golden still has a lot of recruiting left to do with three spots left on the Gators’ 2022-23 roster. The Athletic spoke with Golden about Castleton’s return while breaking down the state of Florida’s current roster.

Gators Online reported that the Gator Collective played a factor in Castleton’s decision to return. However, Golden also pitched that he would build the team around the big man and that the team would be good enough to make the NCAA tournament.

“That’s similar to Colin, where my thought was if he came back and bought into what we were doing, it would be much easier to build an NCAA Tournament roster around him,” Golden said. “That’s something he’s really passionate about accomplishing, after having a sour taste in his mouth last season.”

Golden added that he wanted to develop Castleton’s touch from deep because it’s a critical part of the offense.

The former San Francisco head coach spent a lot of energy and time on recruiting guard [autotag]Myreon Jones[/autotag] to come back for another season. After transferring from Penn State, Jones struggled mightily to find his footing with the team. Golden believes the key to getting Jones back to the sniper he was with the Nittany Lions is rebuilding his confidence.

Another recruiting victory Florida and Golden earned was when Belmont guard [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag] chose to transfer to Gainesville. He should immediately slot in as a starter or as the team’s sixth man.

The Gators will also return [autotag]Kowacie Reeves[/autotag], [autotag]CJ Felder[/autotag], [autotag]Jason Jitoboh[/autotag], [autotag]Niels Lane[/autotag] and [autotag]Elijah Kennedy[/autotag] while adding high school recruits [autotag]Denzel Aberdeen[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Reed[/autotag].

Reeves picked up his scoring quite a bit later in the season, averaging 16.3 points per game in the team’s final three contests after only scoring 5.5 earlier in the year. Felder had one of the team’s best plus-minus but only tallied the ninth-most minutes on the team. He should play a lot more next season given Golden’s emphasis on analytics.

Then The Athletic wrote that the Gators want to add a point guard or two and frontcourt depth. Florida’s targets in the backcourt include Bradley’s Terry Roberts, SMU’s Kendric Davis, Charlotte’s Jahmir Young and VMI’s Trey Bonham. Then its frontcourt prospects are LSU‘s Alex Fudge, Morehead State’s Johni Broome and Nevada’s Warren Washington.

Golden has made quite a bit of progress in retooling the Florida roster, so it can get back to the NCAA tournament next season.

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Florida basketball signs 3 players to complete 2022 recruiting class

Florida signed Malik Reneau, Jalen Reed and Denzel Aberdeen during the early signing period on Wednesday.

Gators men’s basketball coach Mike White is perhaps best known for his abilities as a recruiter, and he hauled in another fantastic class for the 2022 cycle as three players signed their National Letters of Intent on early signing day on Wednesday.

Headlined by power forward Malik Reneau, a five-star recruit from Montverde Academy in Florida (the same school that produced former UF players Andrew Nembhard and Omar Payne), Florida’s class ranks 19th in the nation and fourth in the SEC.

In addition to Reneau, who is the No. 25 player in the country, per the 247Sports Composite, Florida added another top-100 recruit in four-star power forward Jalen Reed (No. 89), a southern California native, and three-star combo guard Denzel Aberdeen (No. 193) from Dr. Phillips in Orlando.

This is White’s highest-ranked class since 2019 when he signed five stars Scottie Lewis and Tre Mann, as well as Payne. And it may not be done quite yet.

The Gators have quite a bit of time between now and the regular signing day on April 22, and there are several other players they are targeting that could join the class. White will look to build on what is already one of his better recruiting classes in Gainesville.

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Florida basketball lands top 100 prospect Jalen Reed

Florida basketball just got a little bit better with the commitment of Top 100 prospect Jalen Reed.

2022 four-star power forward Jalen Reed will be playing his college basketball at Florida, according to 247Sports.

The Gators beat out Arizona State, Maryland, Oklahoma and Ole Miss for the 6-foot-10-inch, 220-pounder. Reed is the No. 93 overall prospect in the 2022 Composite Rankings and thinks he can help Florida right off the bat.

“I feel like I bring a lot of versatility as well as my size as well,” Reed said. “Being my height and being able to do what I can with the ball, I feel like I can really make an immediate impact on the program.”

Reed visited all five of his top schools over the summer, but a short trip to Gainesville in July made all the difference for him. Head coach Mike White and assistant coach Akeem Miskdeen developed a strong enough relationship to land the Southern California Academy recruit.

“I really feel like I get along with the coaching staff well,” Reed said. “I feel like we will build a lifelong relationship and I trust them to help me develop and keep getting better.”

Reed hopes to make a deep run in the tournament and ultimately bring a championship back to Florida. A late-bloomer, Reed should only continue to improve as time goes on. He was previously ranked No. 97 on the composite but moved up four spots in the last month.

The Gators have two other commits in their 2022 class, five-star power forward Malik Reneau and three-star combo guard Denzel Aberdeen. Following Reed’s commitment, Florida should move up from No. 37 to No. 13 in 247Sports’ team rankings.

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