Matt McMahon Putting Finishing Touches on LSU Coaching Staff, Building Roster

Matt McMahon and his new coaching staff have been putting in work over the last few days on the recruiting trail. After finalizing the top positions on his staff, McMahon and his assembled crew have been dishing out offers left and right.

Filling out the top four spots on his staff, with a few familiar faces, this group is prepared to hit this new era of LSU basketball head on. McMahon’s three full-time assistant coaches will be Cody Toppert, Casey Long and Ronnie Hamilton.

Toppert, who was previously an assistant with the Memphis Tigers, became the first hire for McMahon’s staff. Over the last few days both Long and Hamilton jumped on board as well.

Long spent the last five seasons with McMahon and Murray State, which will be a key component in developing the new culture in Baton Rouge. Having a coach who is accustomed to McMahon’s style of play, along with his recruiting tactics, will put this program in better position to transition faster.

Accompanying Long in the switch from Murray State to LSU will be one of McMahon’s top assistants during his time with the Racers, Tim Kaine. Kaine will be brought on board as the chief of staff for the Tigers.

For Hamilton, the elite recruiter provides this staff with a coach who is familiar with what the SEC has to offer after a stint with the Ole Miss Rebels. Whether it’s battling it out for prospects or developing his players, Hamilton will provide the Tigers with an elite assistant who has savvy ways on the recruiting trail.

Now that McMahon has made key hires for his first LSU staff, their main focus shifts to both recruiting players to fill out their 2022-23 roster as well as the future. Getting to work immediately, this group has already given out a myriad of offers.

Putting his name in the portal Monday evening, Oregon transfer Franck Kepnang has already heard from this new staff as they begin compiling their roster for next season. With a number of the top 2022 high school prospects already selecting where they will be playing their college ball, it’ll be of the utmost importance for McMahon and the Tigers to dip into the portal, which they already have done.

It’s clear this program will face sanctions sooner rather than later, which is why McMahon and his staff have already been pointing their focus into the 2023 class to prepare for the future.

Getting acclimated with the talent in the New Orleans area, McMahon recently threw out an offer to Eleanor McMain’s Corey Chest, a top-100 prospect in the 2023 class. A versatile power forward, McMahon and this staff are letting their presence be known in Chest’s recruitment before it blows up even more.

Another key offer in the 2023 class went to Ugonna Kingsley of Putnam Science. Kingsley, who led Putnam to an undefeated season this year, is a dominant rim protector who has soared up the recruiting rankings as of late.

McMahon is getting his feet wet with some of the top talent in the country as well. Handing out an offer to one of the nation’s top guards, Jelani Hamilton, Monday as well, it’s clear this staff is looking to make a splash early. Hamilton is an explosive guard who has the ideal size for a combo guard, standing at 6-foot-6.

This staff continued to hit the recruiting trail even harder Tuesday morning, offering top-40 prospect and one of the most elite small forward’s in the country, Gavin Griffiths. To add a player of Griffiths caliber would give McMahon and this new staff a tremendous jumpstart for their 2023 class, providing a lethal scorer from all three levels.

It’s clear this staff is looking towards the future of this program with a number of offers being handed out to some top talent in the 2023 class. Preparing for the future while dipping into the transfer portal this offseason to get a roster assembled for 2022-23, McMahon surely has his work cut out for him this summer.