Tag: Mwani Wilkinson

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].

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 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.

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

Instant Analysis: LSU men’s basketball finishes regular season on a high note with Senior Night win over Missouri

LSU will be the No. 8 seed at the SEC Tournament in Nashville next week.

LSU fittingly honored its seniors on Saturday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, beating Missouri 84-80 in the regular season finale.

Coach Matt McMahon’s team will enter the SEC Tournament at 17-14 with a 9-9 record in league play after finishing 2-16 a season ago. Missouri, meanwhile, finishes 0-18 in conference play in what has been a very disappointing campaign after reaching the NCAA Tournament last season.

LSU spent most of the first half playing from behind against Mizzou, which shot just 29% in the frame. However, the Tigers were even worse at 25%, and they found themselves in a 35-29 deficit at the half.

Missouri struggled to maintain that lead, however. LSU retook the lead in the opening minutes of the second half, and it went on to expand upon it. The Tigers led by as much as 21 with less than five minutes to play, and while Mizzou would cut into that lead and even get it within three with four seconds to play after some impressive shooting down the stretch, it was too little, too late.

[autotag]Trae Hannibal[/autotag] led the way with 24 points to go with five rebounds and five assists and [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] scored 10 as LSU went with an all-senior starting five. [autotag]Hunter Dean[/autotag] scored 12 with six rebounds in an elevated role, while [autotag]Will Baker[/autotag] scored seven with 10 rebounds. [autotag]Mwani Wilkinson[/autotag] also got to start, finishing with four points.

Coming off the bench, [autotag]Tyrell Ward[/autotag] scored 14 while [autotag]Mike Williams III[/autotag] totaled 10.

LSU will be the No. 8 seed in the SEC Tournament in Nashville next week and will begin its run on Thursday against No. 9-seeded Mississippi State.

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 men’s basketball starts season with huge exhibition win over Louisiana Christian

The Tigers began the 2023-24 season with a 132-44 exhibition win over NAIA Louisiana Christian.

LSU’s men’s basketball team enters the 2023-24 season looking to wash away the bad taste from last season’s losing record and 2-16 finish in SEC play. The Tigers certainly got off to a nice start in Year 2 under [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag], taking down NAIA Louisiana Christian 132-44.

Vanderbilt transfer [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] led the way for the LSU offense, which shot 73.1% from the field as a team. He scored 19 points followed by [autotag]Tyrell Ward[/autotag] (19 points) and [autotag]Mwani Wilkinson[/autotag] (17).

All in all, seven Tigers scored in double figures. Transfers [autotag]Daimion Collins[/autotag] (15 points), [autotag]Will Baker[/autotag] (14) and [autotag]Carlos Stewart[/autotag] (12) were among those players.

It was also an impressive game on the defensive end for the Tigers, which allowed the Wildcats to shoot just 24.2% from the field while forcing 21 turnovers (resulting in 39 points the other way) and outrebounding Louisiana Christian 49-23.

It wasn’t a Division I opponent, but it’s certainly a positive sign for the Tigers as they look to return to contending for the NCAA Tournament. LSU will begin its regular season on Nov. 6 against Mississippi Valley State.

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 men’s basketball ends Bahamas tour with win over Argentina’s Obras Sanitarias

The Tigers went 3-0 during their exhibition tour in the Bahamas this week.

LSU’s exhibition tour in Paradise Island, Bahamas, came to an end on Thursday with a 118-79 win over Obras Sanitarias, an Argentinian club team. The Tigers previously beat club teams from Puerto Rico and the Bahamas on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.

The Tigers controlled the final game from the tip, jumping out to a 14-2 lead and taking a 62-39 advantage into the second half.

“I loved our start today in the first quarter; I thought everyone came out with great energy,” coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] said in a release. “We were able to create some turnovers on the defensive end of the floor that got us out in transition, and I thought everyone played with great unselfishness and got a lot of good looks. We didn’t shoot the ball exceptionally well from three but really did a good job attacking the rim and getting some good baskets. I thought Jordan Wright in the first half was just terrific on the offensive end of the floor, enabling us to build a big lead.

“As for the trip, this has been just terrific for our team. The time we’ve gotten to spend together, the ten practices before we left, the time outside of basketball this week in the Bahamas has been really good. As we try to take these six returning players and nine newcomers and start to build the chemistry of our team, the commitment to winning, and the understanding of what each player is about. I think it’s so important that you have trust in the locker room and you usually see that carry over to the court. This has been really beneficial for us.”

Vanderbilt transfer [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] led the way with a huge game offensively, scoring 27 points. Nevada center transfer [autotag]Will Baker[/autotag] scored 19 points, while [autotag]Mwani Wilkinson[/autotag], [autotag]Corey Chest[/autotag] and [autotag]Daimion Collins[/autotag] all had 12.

“Well, I think the guys play the right way on the offensive end of the floor,” McMahon said. “We weren’t running a lot of plays, we were just trying to play out of concepts and be very unselfish. Guys stepped up and knocked down not only the threes Jordan (Wright) made, but the post-up opportunities for Will Baker, and you saw his efficiency in there. I thought Corey Chest gave us great energy, chasing rebounds, and finishing plays around the basket. Everyone we played was able to contribute, not just today but throughout the trip. It’s been a really good learning experience for us.”

Tyrell Ward also capped off his third-straight double-figure scoring game with 11 points.

Coming off a disappointing first season in Baton Rouge, McMahon has a largely new group of players for Year 2. He’ll hope the opportunity to get some early game action with this team will ultimately pay dividends.

“Yeah, really excited about our team, love our group,” he said. “Obviously, we need to get healthy. We had four guys who were unable to play on the trip and look forward to getting them back when we start the Fall semester of classes. I love the talent and athleticism. We have great character in our locker room and those things give you a foundation to build a team that can win. Can’t wait to get back to Baton Rouge and get started this Fall.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=698014239]

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 comes back to beat Puerto Rico in Bahamas exhibition

The Tigers squandered a big halftime lead, but they battled back to win the exhibition game.

The LSU Tigers had to overcome a seven point deficit at the end of the third quarter, but coach Matt McMahon’s team battled back to beat Puerto Rico 86-82 at the Imperial Ballroom in Paradise Island, Bahamas.

“I was thrilled to see some of the leadership and the response from some of our older guys there in the fourth quarter,” McMahon said in a release. “The third quarter was arguably the worst quarter in the history of Bahamas basketball. Finding a way to respond to that, I thought Mwani Wilkinson hit two huge threes for us, [autotag]Daimion Collins[/autotag] hit a huge three. I loved our unselfishness on the offensive end of the floor. 20 assists on 29 baskets, we moved and shared the ball. The problem is the turnovers and illegal screens cost us a lot of possessions. Overall, it was a great experience for our guys to learn from: the positive response in the fourth quarter, the energy and effort in the first half and to learn from the tragedy of the third quarter.”

LSU led 50-30 at halftime in the game, which wasn’t broadcast. But some sloppy play — namely a concerning 29 turnovers — allowed Puerto Rico to get back in the game.

Still, some timely offense allowed LSU to erase a late deficit and take the win. [autotag]Tyrell Ward[/autotag] led the team with 19 points on 6 of 9 shooting, including a 3 of 6 performance behind the arc.

Transfers [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag] and Collins each scored 13 points, while transfer big man [autotag]Will Baker[/autotag] had 11, as did [autotag]Mwani Wilkinson[/autotag]. As a team, LSU shot 57% from the field in a solid offensive performance.

“I thought Tyrell (Ward) has had a great offseason,” McMahon said. “We all know he is wired to score, and I thought he shot the ball well. He was able to get out in transition and get some baskets for us, he hit two clutch free throws late in the game. I thought Daimion (Collins) really responded well in the fourth quarter and made big plays for us. He ran the floor, had a couple of putback and got a rim runner for a dunk to put us up one and of course, the big three he hit. I thought you saw Will (Baker), not only his ability to score in the post but also his passing. For us right now, with so many guys out, having another guy like Will who can facilitate is important.”

The one negative for the Tigers came in the game’s opening seconds, when true freshman Mike Williams suffered an injury while hyperextending his knee on a breakaway layup. After the game, McMahon didn’t have an update on his condition.

LSU will be back in action on Tuesday when it takes on the Bahamas.

“Excited to get to play again tomorrow,” McMahon said. “Jalen Reed will work out in the morning and we think he will be able to play some tomorrow which will be good for us. Just another opportunity to get better. The reality is we have eight newcomers and combining them with our five returners so the opportunities are priceless to work together and get into some game situations and play different combinations of people together and start to establish the chemistry of the team.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1390]

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 gets win over Kansas City in Matt McMahon’s debut

Matt McMahon began his tenure at LSU with a win over Kansas City that was a bit too close for comfort.

A new era of LSU basketball began on Wednesday night with a 74-63 win over Kansas City.

[autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] made his LSU debut, as did a slew of newcomers. [autotag]Mwani Wilkinson[/autotag] scored LSU’s first points of the year as LSU jumped out to a 9-2 lead.

From that point on, the Tigers hovered around a five-point lead for the rest of the half.

[autotag]Adam Miller[/autotag] made his long-awaited debut after transferring from Illinois in 2021. The guard was expected to be a top contributor on last year’s team before tearing his ACL in the preseason.

He was LSU’s leading scorer with 18 points.

In the spring, Miller being on the court for LSU was far from a sure thing. He had a smooth recovery, but upon Will Wade’s firing, Miller explored his options in the transfer portal. Miller returning to LSU was one of McMahon’s biggest gets as he’s set to feature in the offense.

Another Tiger making his debut was [autotag]KJ Williams[/autotag], who came with McMahon from Murray State. Williams is expected to be LSU’s top player in the front court and delivered in the opener with a double-double (13 points, 14 rebounds).

It was a win, but it could have been a lot smoother. LSU had a few chances to pull away, but Kansas City hung around. LSU turned the ball over 15 times and committed 23 fouls.

The Tigers will have some growing pains, but that was expected. Very few of these guys have played with each other before and this is a sport where chemistry is of critical importance.

Given some time, McMahon’s track record and the level of talent he has to work with now, it figures this team will improve throughout the year. LSU will try to move to 2-0 on Saturday when the Tigers host Arkansas State.

[mm-video type=video id=01ghcz2ahadph1199xas playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01ghcz2ahadph1199xas/01ghcz2ahadph1199xas-b4722b2568ec0ceddc32d3f8443b2b9f.jpg]

[listicle id=60419]

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

Predicting LSU basketball’s starting lineup next season

Here’s how things seem to be shaping up for Matt McMahon’s first season.

[autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] has done a fantastic job putting a roster together, and that might be an understatement.

Over the last few months, LSU’s roster has been filled out via the transfer portal, some recruiting and even convincing departing players to come back.

At this point, we have a pretty good idea about what that group will look like next year despite not having an official roster posted yet. That means we can start taking a stab at what the starting lineup will be.

This is harder than it is most years as there are so many variables surrounding these players. With talented freshmen, it’s always tough to predict if they will be ready. With transfers making the jump from a weaker conference, you never know how they will fare against consistently tougher competition. In Adam Miller’s case specifically, we don’t know what he will look like coming back from injury.

There will be plenty of competition to see how the minutes should be divided up. I also expect McMahon to play a lot of these guys as a lot of them are similar in talent and skill. There’s not much pressure on McMahon next year which means he can take some time to develop some guys and try out new things.

Here’s how we see the starting lineup breaking down as things currently stand.

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.

[mm-video type=video id=01g2zpn5zh3ejjmst9bd playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g2zpn5zh3ejjmst9bd/01g2zpn5zh3ejjmst9bd-06de2c5d7e18e4b84fa11f5d42ab2908.jpg]

[listicle id=51606]

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

Guard Adam Miller withdraws from transfer portal, will return to LSU

Miller arrived in Baton Rouge last offseason with high expectations, but a torn ACL sidelined him for the entire season.

Coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] is cooking with gas in Baton Rouge, now.

On Friday, the Tigers got some colossal news when it was announced that guard [autotag]Adam Miller[/autotag], who entered the transfer portal following the conclusion of the 2021-22 season, would withdraw from the portal and return to LSU.

Miller said on April 29 that he had narrowed his choices down to transferring to TCU or remaining with the Tigers, and he has now made his choice. He becomes the third player to withdraw from the portal since McMahon was hired, joining guard [autotag]Justice Williams[/autotag] and forward [autotag]Mwani Wilkinson[/autotag].

The news that Miller would be returning to the team was first reported by college hoops insider Jon Rothstein.

Miller later confirmed that decision himself via his Twitter account.

He transferred into the program from Illinois last offseason with high expectations. A former four-star recruit and consensus top-50 prospect from Chicago, Miller started all 31 games he appeared in as a true freshman for the Fighting Illini, averaging 8.3 points per game while shooting a very solid 34% from three-point range.

He was expected to be a major part of LSU’s offense this season, but a torn ACL before it began held him off the court, and he took a redshirt year.

With Miller back in the fold, the Tigers shore up their backcourt quite a bit, and he will have a good chance of earning a starting spot for the team this fall.

[mm-video type=video id=01g1rsh8q8reqq37csbs playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g1rsh8q8reqq37csbs/01g1rsh8q8reqq37csbs-f8420f45d958f2bff8eba88d87a5f7ed.jpg]

[listicle id=50071]

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