Tag: Matt McMahon

Where does Matt McMahon stand among SEC coaching hires?

McMahon was listed by The State newspaper as the best new hire in the SEC.

It has been an absolutely wild start to the offseason so far for the SEC. In total, six of the 14 programs have made a coaching change.

Georgia fired coach Tom Crean and replaced him by hiring Mike White away from Florida. The Gators, in turn, hired Todd Golden from San Francisco. Missouri (Cleveland State’s Dennis Gates), Mississippi State (New Mexico State’s Chris Jans) and South Carolina (Chattanooga’s Lamont Paris) also made changes.

Included in that list is, of course, LSU. Unlike most other programs on this list, the Tigers fired [autotag]Will Wade[/autotag] in spite of guiding the team to the NCAA Tournament after he was cited in a Notice of Allegations. Replacing Wade is Murray State’s [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag].

McMahon has taken the Racers to three tournaments since taking over in 2015, and his 31-3 finish this season was the best of his career. In the rankings of the new SEC basketball coaches from The State newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, McMahon stands atop the list.

McMahon had his name thrown around for just about every major college opening in America this cycle and with good reason.

He finishes his time at Murray State as the winningest head coach at the school since 1975, recruited Ja Morant and owns two of the Racers’ five second round NCAA tournament appearances.

There was some thought McMahon would land at South Carolina given, among other reasons, he and Gamecocks football coach Shane Beamer have been friends dating back to their time as graduate assistants at Tennessee. Instead, McMahon heads to Baton Rouge with LSU under a cloud of NCAA sanctions.

The Tigers fired Will Wade for a slew of major NCAA violations, and while it’s unclear what kind of punishment the school will face, it’s likely to be severe.

That said, LSU is one of the better basketball jobs in the league and will pay as such. McMahon is slated to make between $2.6 million and $3.2 million annually over the duration of his seven-year contract, per The Advocate.

This might take time for McMahon to build depending on how hard the NCAA cracks down, but he profiles like a home run if he’s given ample time.

McMahon wasn’t exactly the splashy hire athletics director Scott Woodward has become known for, but given LSU’s historical standing as a basketball program and the fact that there are likely some sanctions from the NCAA coming down the pipeline, it’s hard to imagine that he could have convinced a proven coach at a power program to make the jump right now.

Instead, the Tigers get a young candidate in McMahon with a high ceiling and progressive offensive coaching style. It’s a very solid if slightly underwhelming hire that should keep the newfound success going in Baton Rouge.

[mm-video type=video id=01fyqc4rdh1cef16nh5d playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fyqc4rdh1cef16nh5d/01fyqc4rdh1cef16nh5d-22fabff352fcaa12fed78c25eb635b65.jpg]

[listicle id=49668]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

Breaking down the 5 LSU teams that have undergone coaching changes since 2020

Each of LSU’s major sports has undergone coaching transitions in the last two years. Let’s take a look at all of them.

Since August 2020, what could be considered LSU’s five major sports have all undergone coaching changes.

Those five sports are football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, and gymnastics.

The situations leading to each change were wildly different, and sometimes not even in the same stratosphere. Nonetheless, the changes did occur and the athletic department looks a whole lot different than it did when 2020 began.

Gymnastics was the first to transition and also the most seamless, when [autotag]D-D Breaux[/autotag] retired, associate head coach [autotag]Jay Clark[/autotag] was tabbed to assume the head position.

Next, in what was the most impressive hire, [autotag]Kim Mulkey[/autotag] came to LSU after building a dynasty at Baylor. Not long after that, [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] was hired to helm the baseball program after the retirement of [autotag]Paul Mainieri[/autotag].

I doubt many people need refreshers on what happened in football or men’s basketball, given how dramatic and high-profile each situation was, but [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] took over after a wild conclusion to the [autotag]Ed Orgeron[/autotag] era. Most recently, [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] was hired after the [autotag]Will Wade[/autotag] saga came to an inevitable ending.

With all five coaches now in place, let’s take a look back at each transition, and where each sport stands going forward.

Report: Memphis assistant Cody Toppert to join LSU’s staff

Toppert has spent the last three seasons as an assistant under Penny Hardaway.

New LSU men’s basketball coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] is close to making the first addition to his staff.

According to Stadium’s Jeff Goodman, the Tigers are close to finalizing a deal to bring Memphis Tigers assistant [autotag]Cody Toppert[/autotag] to Baton Rouge. The 39-year-old has coached under Penny Hardaway at Memphis since 2019.

Toppert has experience coaching at the NBA level. After graduating from Cornell in 2005, he had a playing career that lasted until 2012 — mostly overseas but also in the NBA minor leagues. Following his playing career, he served a stint as an assistant at Scottsdale Christian Academy in Phoenix before jumping to the NBA G League.

He was an assistant coach for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers from 2015-17 before serving as the head coach for the Northern Arizona Suns for one season. Toppert received a call-up after that and spent the following season as an assistant with the Phoenix Suns before heading to Memphis.

McMahon is a forward-thinking coach, and in Toppert, he lands a forward-thinking assistant. In his previous stop at Memphis, he created and oversaw one of college basketball’s top analytics programs.

The context of this move is also worth noting. On Saturday morning, it was reported that Memphis — and Hardaway, specifically — is facing multiple Level I and II charges from the NCAA. However, Toppert now joins another program with potential sanctions down the road, which resulted in the termination of previous coach [autotag]Will Wade[/autotag].

[mm-video type=video id=01fyqc4rdh1cef16nh5d playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fyqc4rdh1cef16nh5d/01fyqc4rdh1cef16nh5d-22fabff352fcaa12fed78c25eb635b65.jpg]

[listicle id=49668]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

LSU’s Xavier Pinson becomes next Tigers player to enter transfer portal

The Tigers have lost their starting backcourt duo from this past season to the transfer portal.

LSU continues to hemorrhage players in the wake of coach Will Wade’s firing. The Tigers lost every commit in both the 2022 and 2023 recruiting classes, and guard [autotag]Brandon Murray[/autotag] entered the transfer portal.

Now, LSU has another loss to replace as point guard [autotag]Xavier Pinson[/autotag] also entered the transfer portal on Thursday. Pinson is back in the portal after arriving in Baton Rouge this season as a transfer from Missouri.

In his lone season with the Tigers, Pinson started 27 of the 28 games he appeared in while averaging 9.8 points and 4.8 assists. Pinson is a senior but will use his one remaining year of eligibility due to COVID-19 elsewhere.

With the losses of Murray and Pinson, LSU now has to replace its entire starting backcourt. The Tigers will almost certainly have to hit the portal aggressively themselves, as their two signees in [autotag]Julian Phillips[/autotag] and [autotag]Devin Ree[/autotag] were released from their letters of intent, while hard commit [autotag]Yohan Traore[/autotag] backed off his pledge, too.

LSU also lost the commitment of its lone 2023 pledge, five-star point guard [autotag]Marvel Allen[/autotag].

Between the roster attrition and potential looming sanctions from the NCAA, this is certainly not an easy situation for new head coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] to walk into. His first priority will be to simply fill out a roster that has taken major losses in the week since the offseason began.

[mm-video type=video id=01fyz6qy76cg2x59392h playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fyz6qy76cg2x59392h/01fyz6qy76cg2x59392h-c9224d55511459a1c8f48f7ebdf92f78.jpg]

[listicle id=49574]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

LSU basketball loses final commit in 2022 recruiting class

With Yohan Traore backing off his pledge, the Tigers’ current recruiting class sits vacant.

When Tigers athletic director Scott Woodward made the decision to fire men’s basketball coach Will Wade on March 13 as a result of the NCAA’s investigation into the program, it would have been reasonable to guess that some roster attrition was likely to follow.

What has happened since for LSU, however, could be deemed a worst-case scenario. The Tigers lost both of their 2022 signees in the wake of Wade’s departure when Julian Phillips and Devin Ree were released from their letters of intent and decommitted.

Now, LSU has lost the final piece of its 2022 class as five-star Glendale (Arizona) Dream City Christian center Yohan Traore backed off his pledge to the Tigers.

LSU also lost its lone commit in the 2023 class in five-star point guard Marvel Allen.

Now, the Tigers are left with a completely bare 2022 class with not much time to get things fixed. National signing day is on April 13, meaning new coach Matt McMahon has just over three weeks to try to find at least one player to add to the class.

Barring something unforeseen, the transfer portal will likely be this team’s best bet to rebuild for 2022-23, and given the state of college sports, it’s very likely McMahon could target some of his former Murray State players to make the jump to the power conference ranks.

[listicle id=49574]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

Five things to know about new LSU basketball coach Matt McMahon

Here are five things to know about LSU’s newest head coach

It was reported on Monday that LSU would be hiring Murray State’s Matt McMahon to fill the basketball opening.

McMahon was thought to be a strong candidate since the job came open after a seven-year run at Murray State, where he won multiple NCAA Tournament games in his tenure and won 25 games on three separate occasions.

McMahon is just 43 years old, when he first took the job at Murray State, he was one of the youngest head coaches in the country.

Murray State is coming off a year where the Racers went 31-3, which included an 18-0 conference record. The point is, he’s won a lot of basketball games.

It’s hard to imagine any LSU fans being upset with this hire in normal times, much less with the state the program is currently in.

McMahon didn’t build Murray State from scratch, it could be said he didn’t build it at all. Murray State had success before McMahon took over the program, but McMahon sustained it over a long period, which is not easy to do at a school of that stature.

LSU’s future remains murky but with McMahon in town, LSU seems to be in some competent hands it handles all the uncertainty headed its way.

Here are five things to know about Matt McMahon.

Social media reacts to LSU’s hiring of Matt McMahon as new men’s basketball coach

Fans were excited about LSU landing McMahon from Murray State.

LSU has hired a new leader for the men’s basketball program, and his name is Matt McMahon.

McMahon has been the coach of the Murray State Racers for the past seven years, racking up a 154-67 record and winning the Ohio Valley Conference three times. The Racers made three appearances in the NCAA Tournament with him at the helm, including this year, when No. 7-seeded Murray State beat No. 10-seeded San Francisco in Round 1 before losing to No. 15 seed Cinderella Saint Peter’s.

If you are wondering, yes, McMahon was also the coach that recruited the uber-talented Ja Morant to the Racers back in 2018. Coming off of his best year ever with a 31-3 record, I am excited to see how McMahon will try to right the ship in the bayou.

Tigers fans (and college basketball fans, in general) seem to be excited, as well. Here were some of the reactions on social media.

BREAKING: LSU hires Matt McMahon as next men’s basketball coach

McMahon led the Murray State to a 31-3 finish and second-round appearance in the NCAA Tournament this year.

Just three days after LSU’s season came to an end in the NCAA Tournament, the program has a new basketball coach.

According to multiple reports, the school has agreed to terms to make Murray State’s Matt McMahon the next head coach for the men’s basketball team. McMahon has been the head coach for the Racers since 2015 and has a 154-67 record.

Over the last 24 hours, the search quickly centered around McMahon. Several reports indicated that he was among the finalists, alongside North Texas’ Grant McCasland. McMahon’s 2021-22 team finished with a 31-3 record, his best with the program. It bowed out of the NCAA Tournament in the second round against No. 15-seeded Saint Peter’s after taking down San Francisco in the opening round.

This is a hire that makes a ton of sense for the Tigers. McMahon is young at just 43, and he’s an innovative offensive mind who has proven he can develop NBA talent in the mid-majors, namely Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant. His ceiling at a program with LSU’s resources is certainly significantly higher.

In his seven seasons with Murray State, he took the team to three NCAA Tournaments — it likely would have been four if the 2020 tournament hadn’t been canceled — though he never made it beyond the first weekend.

LSU reportedly also looked into Virginia coach Tony Bennett (who denied interest) and San Francisco’s Todd Golden (who was ultimately hired by Florida).

McMahon was an assistant with the Racers from 2011-15 before taking over as head coach. He also served as an assistant at UNC Wilmington (2010-11), Appalachian State (1999-00 as a student assistant, 2002-10 as a full-time assistant) and Tennessee (2000-02).

[listicle id=49574]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

LSU basketball coaching search rumors: Tigers reportedly targeting 2 candidates

The Tigers’ search reportedly centers around Murray State’s Matt McMahon and North Texas’ Grant McCasland.

LSU’s season is now over after the team’s disappointing loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in a No. 6 vs. No. 11 upset against Iowa State.

That means that the focus can now shift entirely to replacing Will Wade, who was fired on March 13 ahead of the Tigers’ postseason. It’s well known that athletics director Scott Woodward likes to make big, splashy hires, but that may not be so easy this time around.

The basketball program doesn’t carry the same level of prestige that football does, and that’s before you take into account potential impending NCAA sanctions. It seems unlikely that LSU will be able to sway a proven head coach from a power conference team, and it makes sense that per ESPN’s Jeff Borzello, the search is now centering around two mid-major prospects.

LSU is the biggest job left on the board, although potential NCAA sanctions have likely dissuaded some of the big-name options from getting involved. One seemingly far-fetched rumor that won’t go away is Tony Bennett going to Baton Rouge, but sources close to Bennett have maintained all week there is nothing of substance to it. Two names that have emerged as potential options for athletic director Scott Woodward are Murray State’s Matt McMahon and North Texas’ Grant McCasland. As the clear-cut best job still available, LSU can afford to take its time and still have a free run at its preferred candidates.

Given the fact that Bennett is in a great situation in Charlottesville, it’s not exactly surprising that the long-time Virginia coach isn’t looking to jump ship for a job that could come with NCAA limitations.

McMahon and McCasland both make a lot of sense. The former has three NCAA Tournament appearances with the Racers (which would have likely been four, had it not been for the COVID-19 pandemic) while the latter made it to the second round of March Madness last year and led his team to the NIT this year. The Mean Green fell in the second round to Bennett’s Cavaliers.

On Sunday, Stadium’s Jeff Goodman also reported that McMahon was “in the mix” for the Tigers gig.

With several jobs around the country beginning to fill, Woodward may be feeling a greater sense of urgency to get things done. Still, as Borzello mentions, LSU is the best job still available and should be able to dictate the terms in the coaching market, even with the ongoing NCAA situation.

[listicle id=49157]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

Report: Murray State’s Matt McMahon in the mix for LSU job

McMahon led the Racers to a 31-3 season in 2021-22.

LSU is less than 48 hours removed from the end of its 2021-22 season at the hands of the Iowa State Cyclones in what was a No. 6 vs. No. 11 seed upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night.

But the search to replace Will Wade, who was fired on March 13, is more than a week old. And it seems that LSU athletics director Scott Woodward could be narrowing the list of potential candidates.

According to Stadium’s Jeff Goodman, Murray State coach Matt McMahon is in the mix for the opening in Baton Rouge. Per Goodman, the Tigers also looked at San Francisco’s Todd Golden before he was named the head coach at Florida on Friday.

McMahon, 43, is considered one of the rising stars in the sport. He’s been at Murray State since 2015 and touts a 154-67 record. He’s perhaps best known for developing Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant.

His Racers made the 2022 NCAA Tournament as a No. 7-seed but were eliminated in the second round by No. 15-seed Cinderella Saint Peter’s after beating Golden’s Dons in overtime in the first round. This was his best season with Murray State, finishing 31-3 with an 18-0 record in the Ohio Valley Conference.

McMahon has made the NCAA Tournament three times and would likely have a fourth if the 2020 event was not canceled due to COVID-19. He has never advanced beyond the round of 32, however.

He may not be the most proven candidate the Tigers could target, but he has a great track record of mid-major success and runs an exciting brand of offense that would certainly appeal to the LSU faithful.

[listicle id=49157]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno