Tag: LSU Men’s Basketball

LSU basketball lands UT-Martin point guard transfer Jordan Sears

Jordan Sears was a First Team All-OVC selection in each of his two seasons with the Skyhawks.

Once again, coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] has the makings of a promising transfer portal class heading into Year 3.

On Thursday, the Tigers landed their second transfer in the cycle as they received a commitment from former UT-Martin point guard [autotag]Jordan Sears[/autotag].

The Daytona Beach native began his career at Gardner-Webb before joining the Skyhawks in 2022-23. He has been a First Team All-OVC selection in each of the past two seasons.

Sears has played in 64 games with 62 starts over the last two seasons, averaging 21.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists this past season. This will be his fifth and final season of collegiate eligibility.

Sears becomes the second transfer commitment in the cycle, joining Kansas State guard [autotag]Cam Carter[/autotag]. LSU is coming off an improved season in Year 2, but expectations will be high as McMahon enters a crucial Year 3 with another revamped roster.

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Mike Chatman joins LSU men’s basketball as head strength coach

The Baton Rouge native spent the last five seasons at Stanford.

LSU men’s basketball coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] is adding to his staff heading into Year 3.

On Thursday, the Tigers announced the hiring of Baton Rouge native [autotag]Mike Chatman[/autotag] as the head strength and conditioning coach for the Tigers men’s basketball team. Chatman has spent the last five years as the sports performance coach for Stanford basketball.

He has also previously worked on staff at Southern, Michigan, Texas, Penn State, Southern Mississippi and Towson.

“We are excited to welcome Mike Chatman to LSU as our head strength and conditioning coach,” McMahon said in a release. “Coach Chatman is well-respected in the profession for his ability to develop players, lead and build teams, and impact winning. He has coached multiple NBA draft picks and will be instrumental in our player development program. We can’t wait for him to get started in Baton Rouge.”

The hire is still pending the approval of LSU’s Board of Supervisors.

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LSU guard Carlos Stewart enters the transfer portal

A highly anticipated transfer from Santa Clara, Stewart appeared in 13 games with nine starts before a knee injury ended his season.

LSU’s men’s basketball team has seen another departure via the transfer portal. After just one injury-limited season with the Tigers, [autotag]Carlos Stewart[/autotag] entered the transfer portal on Tuesday night.

Stewart arrived as a highly anticipated transfer last offseason following two years at Santa Clara, where he was a First Team All-WCC selection in 2023 following his first year as a full-time starter.

He began the year in a big role for the Tigers, starting nine of the 13 games he appeared in early in the season before a knee injury ended his campaign. He averaged 19.4 minutes, 4.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and an assist this season.

LSU has now seen two players enter the transfer portal as Stewart joins fellow guard [autotag]Mwani Wilkinson[/autotag]. The Tigers also have a commitment from one incoming transfer in former Kansas State guard [autotag]Cam Carter[/autotag].

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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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4-star guard Vyctorius Miller commits to LSU men’s basketball

LSU has added its third commitment in the 2025 cycle.

The LSU men’s basketball team took some significant strides in Year 2 under coach Matt McMahon, but it will be expected to take another step next season.

The Tigers are off to a good start in terms of roster construction for 2024-25, and they landed another four-star commitment in the 2024 class in Vyctorius Miller.

The four-star shooting guard hails from Compass Prep in Chandler, Arizona, and ranks as the No. 53 player nationally according to both 247Sports’ and On3’s national rankings. LSU had a Crystal Ball projection to land Miller, but On3 had Oregon as the favorite for the blue-chip prospect, who is listed at 6-foot-5 and 170 pounds.

With Miller’s addition, LSU’s class now ranks 29th nationally and features three four-star recruits as forward [autotag]Robert Miller[/autotag] and point guard [autotag]Curtis Givens III[/autotag] have already signed.

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LSU among the final 4 for Appalachian State basketball transfer Tre’Von Spillers

Tre’Von Spillers earned First Team All-Sun Belt honors in his lone season with the Mountaineers.

The Tigers took some noticeable strides in Year 2 under [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag]. They finished with a winning record and improved their SEC win total from two games to nine this year, earning a bid to the NIT in the process.

But the team still wasn’t in the tournament mix, and after two transfer-heavy offseasons in Baton Rouge, McMahon is likely to hit the portal hard once again this time around.

LSU is already making progress in that regard. Over the weekend, it cracked the final four for Appalachian State basketball transfer [autotag]Tre’Von Spillers[/autotag], alongside conference foe Arkansas as well as Wake Forest and UAB.

A Charleston, South Carolina, native, Spillers joined the Mountaineers this season as a JUCO transfer and played a major role. He averaged 12.8 points and 8.9 rebounds while earning First Team All-Sun Belt honors.

The 6-foot-7 forward would be a nice wing addition for the Tigers, who have already landed a backcourt transfer in Kansas State guard [autotag]Cam Carter[/autotag].

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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 makes top 7 for 4-star power forward

Syracuse is a 14.6% favorite to land Sadiq White per On3.

LSU’s basketball season may have just ended, but the recruiting cycle is still heating up. [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] improved the Tigers team from Year 1 to Year 2 under his leadership and he is continuing to try to land the best players in the country.

This time, he has the Tigers in the final seven for the No. 1 player in the state of North Carolina. [autotag]Sadiq White[/autotag] is a four-star power forward from Charlotte where he plays for Myers Park High School. The Myers Park Mustangs finished the 2023-24 season with a 27-3 record and a loss to North Mecklenburg in the Class 4A Elite 8.

LSU joins Alabama, Arkansas, Syracuse, Georgetown, Texas and Tennessee in the final seven. There are currently no crystal ball projections for White at this time but Syracuse is a 14.6% favorite to land him per On3.

LSU does not have any commits for the 2025 recruiting class in basketball yet.

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LSU men’s basketball’s Mwani Wilkinson enters transfer portal

Mwani Wilkinson entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer on Friday.

After a loss in its NIT opener to North Texas, the LSU men’s basketball team has seen its first piece of postseason attrition.

On Friday, senior forward [autotag]Mwani Wilkinson[/autotag] entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer. He will have one remaining season of eligibility.

A four-year player for the Tigers, he appeared in 100 games with 57 starts. He was a regular starter in 2021-22 and 2022-23 before his season ended due to injury after 12 games last year. As a senior this season, he appeared in 27 games with four starts while averaging 2.1 points and a rebound.

Wilkinson initially entered the transfer portal when [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] was hired, but he opted to stay.

Now, he’ll be moving on to greener pastures, after all.

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Shaq’s son Shaqir O’Neal enters the transfer portal

Shaqir O’Neal appeared in 20 games this season with one start at Texas Southern.

Another son of former LSU star and NBA Hall of Famer [autotag]Shaquille O’Neal[/autotag] has hit the transfer portal.

Shaq’s son [autotag]Shaqir O’Neal[/autotag], who previously played for Texas Southern, has opted to transfer. A 6-foot-8, 201-pound forward from Los Angeles, O’Neal was a redshirt sophomore for the Tigers this season.

He’s appeared in 20 games with one start in each of the last two seasons, and in 2023-24, he averaged 1.8 points and 1.8 rebounds.

A three-star recruit who attended Union Grove High School in McDonough, Georgia, O’Neal ranked as the No. 284 nationally in the 2021 class, per the 247Sports Composite Rankings. His brother, Shareef, began his career at UCLA before transferring to LSU.

The elder O’Neal brother appeared in 24 games as a backup for the Tigers over two seasons. He went undrafted in 2022 and briefly spent time with the G League Ignite.

Shaqir is a largely unproven player, but coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] could take a flyer on a legacy.

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