After the LSU Tigers Men's Basketball team finished Matt McMahon's first season 14-19 with a 2-16 conference record, McMahon knew they had to do something different for the upcoming season.
They were able to bring in key freshman Mike Williams III, but McMahon was also able to rebuild this roster intentionally through the transfer portal. In doing so, he was looking for two main things: Louisiana born and experienced players.
Of the six transfers he brought in, four of them were seniors and with three of them being Louisiana natives. One of those seniors was Jalen Cook, who has since been suspended from the team for not meeting the standards set for the program, but the other three were honored during senior night on Saturday.
Jordan Wright, Will Baker and Hunter Dean have all taken much different paths to get to where they are today. Wright played four seasons in the SEC with Vanderbilt before transferring to LSU to play in front of his hometown. Baker went to Texas as a five-star before transferring twice and ending up in Baton Rouge for his final season. And Dean played at a smaller school in the northeast, but was given the opportunity to represent his dream school in his final season.
All three are well traveled individuals who came to LSU to help rebuild this program into something special. We got a chance to catch up with this trio before senior night, and here's what each of them had to say about their collegiate journey:
Advertisement
Jordan Wright
"100%, I think it's the best decision I ever made [coming to LSU]. No regrets, no ill feelings towards my decision. This was a dream of mine to come here and play, and helping rebuild this program is definitely something I signed up for when I talked to Coach McMahon. We still have some work to do to do that, but it's definitely been a good year for me and I've thoroughly enjoyed it through the ups and downs. Like I said, it's been the best decision I could have made when I hit the portal to come here and play a part in this journey, play a part in this rebuild and essentially help the rebuild end quicker than it's supposed to."
Jordan Wright
Will Baker
"I'm grateful to be here, so grateful. It's been a great opportunity. I feel like I've taken advantage of everything that this place has to offer for me. I've gotten better, I've gotten to grow closer to my teammates and get improve on the court with them, so that's been really fun. I'm just excited to see where we'll go at the end of the year...It'll be a very special moment for me [getting honored on senior night]. In my time at Nevada, I did graduate from there, but I wasn't recognized as a senior, so to be recognized here is very special to me. I love LSU, I love my time here and this opportunity. My college career has been one I would've never expected starting as a freshman at Texas, but I'm glad I ended it here."
Will Baker
Hunter Dean
"It was a great opportunity for me to play at a higher level, getting to see what the competition was like, expanding my game a little bit and playing closer to home...I think I'll be gracious [to be honored on senior night]. Just for all the different coaches and experiences that I've had, but especially for my time here at LSU because it's my home school. I really wanted to go here before I was even recruited, but I'm still grateful for my time at [George Washington]. I graduated with a degree there, met some really awesome people. I think, going forward, who I am is a culmination of everything I've gone through."
