LSU Coach Matt McMahon Has 'Hit the Ground Running' in Constructing Roster
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For a program with such an uphill climb to overcome in the next several months, coach Matt McMahon is "hitting the ground running."
Everyone who follows the program closely knows about the dark cloud hovering over the Tigers in potential punishment from the NCAA. But McMahon is not letting how that impending investigation, which is still likely several months away from a resolution, let him affect the way he's building his program.
There are many boxes he hopes to get ticked in the next several weeks but none more important than starting to build a relationship with the current talent on roster. When LSU moved on from Will Wade, the general assumption was whoever took over would be inheriting a complete rebuild.
Young, talented core pieces like Adam Miller, Efton Reid, Eric Gaines, Mwani Wilkinson, Justice Williams, Alex Fudge and Jerrell Colbert are just some of the underclassmen likely to be playing college ball next year. And it's on McMahon and whoever he brings aboard his staff to start making those pitches to the players now, a process that has already started.
"That's the most important thing here and we've hit the ground running," McMahon said. "We're gonna invest a lot of time with our players. I want people who want to be here, want people who want to be a part of something special because that's what we're gonna build here. My favorite part of the job is not only seeing the best player they can be but the best man they can be. It's my responsibility to grow leaders here at LSU and that's what we're gonna work to do."
Building out a staff, roster building and meeting great people who really care about LSU and want to see this program have success is what the immediacy of McMahon's tenure will look like. There is plenty of talent on this current staff and if McMahon can have success convincing any number of players to stick it out with the new regime, it'd be a big win.
"I don't expect someone to walk in and shake my hand and in 30 seconds have trust established," McMahon said. "I'm gonna lay out a vision in how we're gonna run a program and how it's gonna benefit these young men. I have great confidence in that."
In the end there will be some level of reconstruction with this roster, something McMahon is no doubt preparing for. The transfer portal figures to be a staple for how this team will need to be constructed on some level and it's an area the new Tigers' coach has some found success in during his coaching career.
McMahon gave an example that three of the six top players on Murray State's team in 2021 were transfers who came in and developed very quickly in the program. While at Murray State, the program developed a bit of a reputation for bringing in elite point guards buy McMahon was quick to point out the complete roster the Racers had that led to a 31-3 season.
Shooting guard Tevin Brown became the best three-point shooter in the history of the Ohio Valley conference and big man KJ Williams was the player of the year in the league. Both are poised to have professional opportunities and it's something McMahon wants to build at LSU, a complete roster that will develop over time.
"It's here to stay so you better embrace it and use it to the best of your ability," McMahon said of the transfer portal. "That's what we've done. The one thing I'll say to recruits is you want to play at the highest level, you want your skills developed to the absolute fullest, want professional opportunities, want to win and be around great people who will invest in you, you won't find a better place in America.
"Anybody can walk into a gym and see who can dunk and who can shoot which is how a lot of those star rankings are assigned," McMahon said. "You have to have a very thorough and detailed evaluation process with what you're looking for in your program."
How McMahon makes those pitches to come aboard a program that could be facing scholarship reductions and possible postseason bans will be very difficult. It's why he and the LSU administration have locked in for nearly the rest of this decade.
But McMahon doesn't see as much of a hurdle to climb because of the resources available in Baton Rouge and the brand that LSU will be able to sell to these high school athletes.
"This is LSU, one of the great brands in all of sports," McMahon said. "We've built a program with elite players and we're gonna continue to do that here at LSU. I'm excited to move the program forward and we're gonna build it with great players, great people and everyone in our organization."
