They’ve been to escape rooms and football games together as well as bowling outings and dinners at the house of Matt McMahon.
McMahon, LSU’s first-year men’s head basketball coach, had to essentially recruit almost a entire new roster following the mass players departures after previous head coach Will Wade was fired for NCAA Level 1 recruiting violations.
Signing 10 new players – six transfers and four freshmen – and mixing it with five returnees (all but one hardly had any playing time last season – meant going back to the basics of team building 101.
“We've tried to be very intentional how we build the team and how we build the relationships in the program,” said McMahon, 44, a Tennessee native who was 154-67 in seven seasons at Murray State with three NCAA tourney bids in the last four seasons the tournament was played. “You're also trying to ultimately build trust within the relationships in the organization.
“It's just going to take some time there. It's easy when things are going well. The next challenge for us is how does our leadership withstand adversity?”
That phase starts tonight at 7 in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center when the Tigers open the McMahon era vs. Kansas City in the 2022-23 season opener.
McMahon declined to name a starting lineup when he met the media on Tuesday.
But it’s likely Murray State transfers forward K.J. Williams and point guard Juice Hill will be joined by Illinois transfer guard Adam Miller (who sat out at LSU last season after tearing an ACL in preseason practice), Northwestern State transfer center K.J. Williams and junior returning small forward Mwani Wilkerson.
“The important thing is players have to understand whatever minutes are, whatever the role is on November 9, certainly doesn't guarantee you that spot whether it's as a starter or 30 minutes a game or zero minutes again, for the remainder of the season,” McMahon said. “These players are going to have to really understand you must deliver on the practice floor. You must be consistent in your habits there which will in turn lead to consistent production.”
Perhaps no LSU player is champing at the bit more than Miller, named 2020 Mr. Basketball in Illinois as a high school and who started all 31 games in 2020-21 as a University of Illinois.
He transferred to LSU a year ago and figured to be a key part last season of what became Wade’s third NCAA tourney team before a season-ending knee injury in mid-October.
“He’ll have a big role in what we're trying to do,” McMahon said of Miller. “You're talking about a guy that's relentless in his work ethic. I've just been really impressed with how he's handled his long rehab. It speaks to his mental toughness and his drive to become the best he can be. I think you'll have a great year for us.”
Also, 6-10 forward Jalen Reed, son of former Ole Miss All-SEC forward Justin Reed, might be an impact freshman for the Tigers.
"Jalen is different than any player I've coached,” McMahon said. “At 6-10, he's not a back-to-the-basket post-up player. He's a very skilled off the dribble, a creator, a very willing passer so that's been a lot of fun to coach. He has a unique skill set.”
LSU has 12 non-conference games, including eight at home, before opening SEC play at home vs. preseason No. 10 Arkansas on Dec. 28 followed by a Jan. 3 date at preseason No. 4 Kentucky.
“I’m pretty simple in my approach, scheme and strategy,” McMahon said. “I want us to play with relentless effort and great unselfishness at both ends of the floor with a lot of energy. I want us to play with great joy. This is supposed to be fun, too.”
