LSU Basketball Transfer Portal Haul: Who's In? Who's Out?

Matt McMahon is in the midst of another rebuild in Baton Rouge as the Tigers revamp their roster for the 2023-24 season. After losing seven players to the NCAA Transfer Portal, this coaching staff has gone out and secured elite-level talent ahead of next season, including a trio of Louisiana natives.

The Tigers have added six players via the portal as they solidify their roster for next season.

The offseason recap to this point:

The Departures:

Justice Hill - Loyola Marymount

Hill was one of three players from Murray State to follow Head Coach Matt McMahon to Baton Rouge. Averaging 5.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game for the Tigers in his lone season with LSU, Hill was rather inconsistent during his time down South.

Before making the move to the Bayou State, Hill was a First Team All-Ohio Valley Conference member in 2022 where he averaged 13 points and five assists a night.

Kendal Coleman - California Baptist

Coleman, who transferred to LSU after two seasons with Northwestern State where he averaged 15.4 points, 10.1 points and 1.3 blocks per game as a sophomore while earning First Team honors in the Southland Conference, is now back in the portal.

It’ll be three schools in three years for the versatile, athletic forward who has the chance to make an impact at his next stop. Coleman averaged 2.3 points and 2.1 rebounds in his lone season in Baton Rouge, falling out of the rotation once SEC play rolled in, but there is certainly upside with the raw prospect.

Corneilous Williams - Western Carolina

The lengthy big redshirted in 2022-23 as he rehabbed a shoulder injury suffered during the offseason.

Justice Williams - Robert Morris University

Williams averaged 3.3 points and 1.5 assists during his second season with the Tigers as a rotational piece off the bench for Head Coach Matt McMahon’s group this year.

The former 4-star guard reclassified and skipped his senior year of high school ahead of the 2021-22 season where he played for Will Wade during his freshman campaign. After the coaching change and hiring of McMahon, Williams was just one of three players to stick around and stay in Baton Rouge.

Shawn Phillips - Arizona State

Phillips played in 20 games for the Tigers in limited minutes. The freshman averaged 1.4 points and 2.2 rebounds per game in 7.4 minutes a night.

A 7-footer with elite rim protecting ability and impressive footwork for his size, LSU loses one of their talented youngsters who showed improvement throughout his first year in Baton Rouge.

Phillips burst onto the scene during the SEC Tournament after propelling the Tigers to a first round victory over Georgia. The lengthy center scored 13 points while adding 10 rebounds, doing most of his damage down the stretch in order for LSU to take home the win.

Adam Miller - Arizona State

Miller had an underwhelming second season in Baton Rouge. After missing his first year after recovering from a torn ACL, it was expected Miller would take on a major workload and give the Tigers a significant boost in the 2022-23 season, but it was a rollercoaster for the Chicago native.

Miller averaged 11.5 points and 2.3 rebounds on 33% shooting from the field. Struggling to get in a rhythm all season, the former four-star prospect will look to for a fresh start in what will be his third college in four years.

Cam Hayes - East Carolina

Hayes joined Head Coach Matt McMahon’s squad after transferring in from North Carolina State for the 2022-23 season. A shifty, 6-foot-2 guard, Hayes played in 31 games for the Tigers with averages of 8.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists a night.

The Additions:

Jordan Wright - Vanderbilt

The Baton Rouge native averaged 10.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game for Vanderbilr last season, leading the Commodores to a big-time turnaround under Head Coach Jerry Stackhouse.

Wright has been surgical during his college career. A player who can score in the blink of an eye, he fills an immediate need for the Tigers where he will spend his final year of eligibility.

Jalen Cook - Tulane

LSU also added two-time First Team All-AAC guard Jalen Cook, giving the Tigers a shot-making facilitator for the 2023 season. The former Tulane guard has been spectacular during his time with the Green Wave, looking to bring his playmaking ability back to Baton Rouge after a stint with the Tigers to begin his college career.

Cook is fresh off of a dominant year after averaging 19.8 points and 4.9 assists for the Green Wave. One of the top guards in the portal, McMahon makes a huge splash in securing Cook, who received interest from over 40 schools once entering the portal.

Will Baker - Nevada

Baker spent three seasons at Nevada following a stint with Texas during his freshman campaign. The 7-foot, 245-pound post player was a third-team all-conference honoree this season on his way to a career year. A former four-star recruit, his game is coming together rather quickly.

Baker averaged career highs in points (13.6) and rebounds (5.2) this year while adding 26 assists, 18 steals and nine blocks on 56% from the field and 35.5 percent on threes. LSU is in search of bigs, and after an official visit to Baton Rouge in April, it sealed the deal for the high-priority target.

Carlos Stewart - Santa Clara

The Baton Rouge native just finished his second season with the Broncos where he started in 33 games this year. Stewart averaged 15.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game for his squad on his way to a career year.

The shifty 6-foot-1 guard has been efficient during his time out West, but as he returns home to suit up for the purple and gold, it’ll be a homecoming. Stewart attended Dunham School in Baton Rouge with new Tiger Jordan Wright as the two team up once again in different colors.

Hunter Dean - George Washington

The 6-foot-10 big gives this program another piece to their roster moving forward.

Dean spent his freshman campaign at Southern Miss before transferring to George Washington for his last three years. Now heading to Baton Rouge, the Louisiana native comes to LSU as a graduate transfer.

In the 2022-23 season, Dean averaged 8.7 points and 6.1 rebounds a night on an efficient 64.1% from the field. A true big, Dean gives the Tigers some stability moving forward inside, an area this unit struggled in last season.

A career season last year, Dean nearly doubled his production in points while upping his rebounds as well. With the Tigers looking to add experience to their roster, Dean fits what McMahon is building like a glove.

Daimion Collins - Kentucky

When Collins arrived in Lexington, it was a challenge to get playing time for the Wildcats where he played roughly eight minutes a night for Calipari. A player who’s a lethal lob threat and thrives as an offensive rebounder, getting minutes alongside Oscar Tshiebwe, the nation’s top rebounder, put Collins in a bind. It limited his potential and the overall lineups he was forced into stunted his growth.

Now with LSU, the spacing of this offense should benefit him greatly. With the additions of Jordan Wright and Jalen Cook in the backcourt, two players who are gifted in the pick and roll, Collins could find success in this area.

A player whose midrange jumper shows fluidity and reliability, he can also make an impact for the Tigers there, but it’ll take consistency to become a threat on a routine basis. At 6-foot-9, 210 pounds, Collins has ideal size to play the four for LSU where he can open his game significantly.

Collins is a high-flying, explosive hooper. It’s what had him as the No. 1 prospect in Texas coming out of high school and a Top 15 player in the country. The ability to play above the rim and utilize his length on defense to pin shots against the backboard made him a two-way star at the high school level.

Now looking to match that energy level in college, the Tigers add a guy who has the intangibles to get back to that level. He’s been healthy. He’s been in the weight room. He checks all the boxes. McMahon has a guy now who’s played at the highest level in the SEC and taken strides in the right direction while at Kentucky. It’s just a matter of putting it all together and utilizing his unique skill set in Baton Rouge.