Tag: LSU Men’s Basketball

Top 50 recruit, LSU basketball target to announce commitment on Friday

Four-star 2025 forward Tylis Jordan will make a decision on Friday.

Coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] and LSU men’s basketball is still looking to add the first commitment in its 2025 class, but it could be in contention to land one of the best players in the entire cycle.

[autotag]Tylis Jordan[/autotag], a four-star forward from Snellville, Georgia, is set to announce his commitment date on Friday, according to On3’s Joe Tipton. Jordan, who stands at 6-foot-9 ranks as the No. 43 player and No. 10 power forward in the 2025 class.

Jordan hasn’t named his finalists, but he’s so far taken official visits to six schools: LSU, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia Tech, Auburn and Ole Miss. The Rebels are currently the heavy favorite to land him according to the On3 recruiting prediction machine, as well as a pair of crystal balls from 247Sports placed on Wednesday.

It seems LSU has some ground to make up here, but it will hope for a surprise when Jordan announces his decision.

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Star Illinois basketball transfer Coleman Hawkins cancels LSU visit, commits to Kansas State

The Tigers were expected to host the coveted transfer this weekend, but there’s been a change of plans.

LSU was hoping to hold a visit with the top available player in the transfer portal, but it seems that won’t come to pass.

[autotag]Coleman Hawkins[/autotag], a transfer from Illinois who was also testing the NBA draft waters, was slated to take a visit to Baton Rouge following his trip to Kansas State. However, he canceled that trip on Friday, and shortly after, he announced his commitment to the Wildcats.

Hawkins enters his fifth season of college basketball after starting 82 of the 126 games he appeared in during his four seasons at Illinois. This past year, he averaged 12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists.

The graduate transfer power forward would have been the top transfer addition of the [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] era, but the Tigers will instead rely on their already solid transfer class which is paired with a top-10 high school signing class.

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LSU basketball’s 2024 recruiting class finishes in the top 10

Matt McMahon continues to bring a lot of talent to Baton Rouge.

It’s been a slower rebuild through two seasons of the [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] era than many expected, but as we enter the 2024-25 season, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic.

McMahon has acquired quite a bit of talent, especially through the transfer portal, but he hasn’t neglected high school recruiting either. LSU’s four-man class in 2024 features three top-100 prospects, and that was good enough to finish as a top-10 group in ESPN’s rankings.

The headliners are power forward [autotag]Robert Miller[/autotag] (No. 72), point guard [autotag]Curtis Givens III[/autotag] (No. 75) and shooting guard [autotag]Vyctorius Miller[/autotag] (No. 76). The Tigers also added [autotag]Noah Boyed[/autotag], a power forward who ranks as the No. 4 JUCO transfer in the country.

After finishing with a losing record in Year 1, LSU was above .500 last season and earned an NIT bid. With a top-10 class coming in, the Tigers will be expected to take another leap this winter.

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LSU men’s basketball to face Florida State in ACC/SEC Challenge

The Tigers will play host to the Seminoles on Dec. 3 at the PMAC.

LSU men’s basketball coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] enters a crucial Year 3 in 2024-25, and while we don’t know the full schedule yet, we do know at least one non-conference game for the Tigers.

They’ll be playing host to Florida State in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Dec. 3. In last year’s ACC/SEC Challenge, LSU went on the road to face Syracuse, a game it ultimately lost.

The Seminoles, led by veteran coach Leonard Hamilton in what will be his 23rd season, are coming off a disappointing 17-16 season that saw them miss the postseason. The two teams last faced in Nov. 2018, a game the Seminoles won 79-76.

After a disappointing first season under McMahon, LSU closed out 2023-24 in strong fashion and earned an NIT bid. With a transfer heavy team once again, the Tigers will hope to take the leap to tournament contention this season.

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LSU announces death of former basketball player Josh Maravich, son of Pete Maravich

Josh Maravich, son of Pete Maravich and a player at LSU from 2001-05, died on Friday at the age of 42.

Former LSU men’s basketball player [autotag]Josh Maravich[/autotag], son of LSU and NBA legend and arena namesake [autotag]Pete Maravich[/autotag], died at his family home in Covington, Louisiana, on Friday, the school announced on Saturday.

Maravich was 42 years old.

A walk-on player at LSU from 2001-05, Maravich appeared in 13 games over three seasons, playing a total of 16 minutes with four career made field goals.

“I wanted to come here for my dad to make him proud,” Josh said in a 2005 article in the LSU school paper, The Daily Reveille. “I knew I wasn’t going to be a star player, but for me being a walk-on was what I always wanted to do.”

Maravich and his brother, Jaeson, are credited as the ones who decided upon the iconic pose of their father’s statue outside the arena which bares his name.

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LSU basketball to host top available transfer portal player

LSU will host the top available transfer on a visit next week.

As LSU basketball continues to ramp up its rebuild under [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag], the Tigers are set to host the top available recruit in the transfer portal on June 17, according to On3’s Joe Tipton.

[autotag]Coleman Hawkins[/autotag], originally a three-star recruit in 2019, hit the portal after playing four years at Illinois. He’s coming off a career year where he averaged 12.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game while shooting over 45% from the field. The 6-foot-10 forward was a factor inside but could score it from deep too, averaging 1.4 threes made per game his last two years in Champaign.

Along with LSU, Kansas State is also getting a visit from Hawkins. Louisville was originally a contender, but Hawkins elected to cancel that visit.

Hawkins also tested the NBA draft waters before pulling his name and returning to the college ranks.

“I would go somewhere I can enjoy a football game,” Hawkins quipped last month.

There’s a lot more to his decision than that, but LSU’s athletic tradition across the board can’t hurt.

If McMahon pulls this off, Hawkins would be the fourth member of an already strong transfer class that ranks No. 11 in the country, according to On3.

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LSU basketball hiring Sacramento State’s David Patrick as associate head coach

David Patrick spent the last two seasons as the head coach at Sacramento State and was an assistant at LSU from 2012-16.

LSU made a splash to complete Matt McMahon’s men’s basketball coaching staff for the 2024-25 season.

On Wednesday, the program announced that [autotag]David Patrick[/autotag] would be returning to Baton Rouge to serve as the team’s associate head coach. Patrick spent the last two seasons as the head coach at Sacramento State.

Known as an elite recruiter, the 48-year-old Bermuda-born coach who was raised in Australia was an assistant at LSU under coach [autotag]Johnny Jones[/autotag] from 2012-16. In two seasons as the head coach of the Hornets, he had a 24-42 record.

“I am incredibly excited to welcome David Patrick and his family to our LSU coaching staff,” McMahon said in a release. “He is an outstanding basketball coach and an elite recruiter who has impacted winning at every stop on his journey. Coach Patrick brings tremendous experience and success to our program. He has been a Division I Head Coach, an assistant coach for the Australian National Team winning a bronze medal in the 2021 Olympics, and has coached in the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

“I love Coach Patrick’s investment in player development and in building relationships. He has recruited and helped to develop multiple NBA Draft picks throughout his career. I look forward to the new ideas, solutions, and energy he will bring to our program. We can’t wait to get started this summer.”

After leaving LSU, Patrick spent two years as an assistant at TCU before leaving for the UC Riverside head coaching job. He left after two seasons in 2020 to join Arkansas as the associate head coach, a role he later held at Oklahoma, as well.

Patrick also brings NBA experience — three years as a personnel scout for the Houston Rockets from 2010-12 — and international experience to the table as he was an assistant coach for the Australian national team from 2019-21.

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LSU basketball lands JUCO big man transfer Noah Boyed

The Tigers added a promising 7-footer to the transfer class.

If there’s one thing [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] has proven at LSU, it’s that he can remake the men’s basketball roster in short order. He’s done so once again this offseason after the team took a step forward in Year 2 but still missed the NCAA tournament, and on Thursday, he added yet another piece.

JUCO center transfer [autotag]Noah Boyed[/autotag] committed to the Tigers over Oregon and Wisconsin, according to On3’s Joe Tipton. A native of St. Lucia, the McCook Community College 7-footer was originally committed to Baylor but reopened his recruitment last month.

Boyed ranks as the No. 4 JUCO prospect in the country, according to 247Sports. With McCook, he started 32 of 36 games he appeared in, averaging 11.2 points and 8.2 rebounds.

Boyed joins a recruiting class that features three top-100 prospects and ranks 15th nationally. The Tigers also brought in a trio of transfer guards this offseason in [autotag]Jordan Sears[/autotag], [autotag]Cam Carter[/autotag] and [autotag]Dji Bailey[/autotag].

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Shaquille O’Neal offers high praise for Candace Parker after her retirement

Former LSU basketball star Shaquille O’Neal had kinds words with Candace Parker following her retirement .

Former LSU basketball player [autotag]Shaquille O’Neal[/autotag] had some kind words for Candace Parker following her recent retirement announcement.

Parker joined TNT’s “Inside the NBA” on Wednesday night to talk with Shaq and the crew.

“I just want to say: you know how I feel about you. I love you. I’m so proud of you. Good luck in your new endeavor. And I appreciate our friendship very much and I’m so proud of you,” O’Neal said.

Parker replied, thanking O’Neal for being a role model.

“I’m trying to be a businesswoman, like you, so thank you for raising the bar and continuing to be a great friend and partner for me,” Parker said.

Parker is hanging it up after 16 seasons in the WNBA. The former first-overall pick from Tennessee averaged 16 points and 8.5 rebounds per game over her lengthy career.

She won MVP twice and finished top five in voting 10 times.

Shaq played three seasons with LSU from 1989-92. He was one of the nation’s most dominant players throughout his time in Baton Rouge, averaging 21.6 points per game.

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Wisconsin basketball final Greenbrier tip-off opponent announced

Wisconsin basketball final Greenbrier tip-off opponent announced

LSU basketball program will join Wisconsin as the fourth program in the 2024-25 Greenbrier Tip-Off event, according to a recent press release.

The inaugural edition of the tournament is slated for November 22-24, 2024 and will take place at the resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

The Badgers and LSU Tigers are two of four programs named as participants, alongside Pittsburgh and UCF.

The tournament website notes that the four teams will take part in a two-game bracketed tournament. Travel packages will be available for fans starting on May 21.

The Greenbrier has yet to announce official matchups, game start times and television viewing capabilities.

Since the tournament was announced in early March, Wisconsin’s men’s basketball program has experienced a shift in personnel.

The Badgers have made three transfer splashes thus far: guard John Tonje, point guard Camren Hunter and power forward Xavier Amos. Greg Gard and his staff remain active in the portal as the program looks to improve entering 2024-25 and beyond.

His work has mainly been to mitigate the losses of departed players AJ Storr (portal), Chucky Hepburn (portal), Tyler Wahl (graduation) and Connor Essegian (portal).

In a college basketball world where most Thanksgiving tip-off tournaments take place in remote islands, Las Vegas or Florida, West Virginia will certainly be a change of pace for the Badgers.