McMahon makes key changes heading into year two at LSU

LSU defeated Louisiana Christian 132-44 on Monday night in its lone exhibition before the start of the 2023 season. With it, LSU marked the start of year two under head coach Matt McMahon with a revamped roster.

With nine players scoring nine or more points, the Tigers put on a show for the home crowd, but now await the decision from the NCAA regarding the eligibility of transfer guard Jalen Cook. Cook did not play on Monday with the uncertainty still looming with one week before the start of the season.

Three other veteran players missed the exhibition game as forward Derek Fountain did not play with a stomach issue that’s been bothering him and he’s currently day-to-day. Trae Hannibal is battling an illness but is expected to return Wednesday for practice. Transfer center Hunter Dean has an injured shoulder and is day-to-day as well.

Overall, it was a strong showing from a team that hopes to take strides forward from last year’s LSU team that finished 2-16 in SEC play.

“Really pleased with the guys’ unselfishness tonight. Not really worried about the score but I liked the look of our team, the athleticism and size and unselfishness. Of course, the shot-making, we got some open looks, but you have to step up and knock them down. You look at the three wings with Jordan (Wright), Tyrell (Ward) and Mwani (Wilkinson) going 14-of-22 fromthree was good for us. Again, missing some guys but all in all this was good for us to get hereand shoot the ball well and play unselfish basketball. Trying to do some things a little differentlyon the defensive side of the ball that really benefits our personnel better. I thought it was good for us to get to do that tonight.”

Defensive changes

The defensive intensity was evident from the jump ball and accelerated by McMahon’s usage of a halfcourt trapping defense to try to force turnovers against a NAIA program without the talent to keep pace. That sort of change from last year is something McMahon and his staff have worked on over the offseason in order to spark better defensive numbers and play to their strengths.

Last year, LSU finished as the worst defense in the SEC on Kenpom, but with the added size, the expectation is for a more stingy defensive unit.

“I like it,” McMahon said of the pressure defense. “The way the defensive system is structured this year fits out personnel really well. Not only do we have size and athleticism in the frontcourt, but in the backcourt we have Tyrell Ward who’s 6-7 and a long athlete, Jordan Wright is 6-6 and can guard multiple positions on the court. Mwani has played in a switching defense here in the past where he was very successful, so that’s certainly the hope to get better on the defensive side of the ball so that it can fuel your transition attack.”

Improved 3-point shooting

On offense, there were four different scholarship players who hit threes and all of them shot over 50 percent. LSU shot 32.7 percent from 3-point range last year, a number that needed to improve, and with the additions of Jordan Wright and Carlos Stewart, the spacing from the guard positions should be more reliable and open the paint for others. For McMahon, this was a clear emphasis and one that further becomes a strength if Jalen Cook is eligible to play.

“I thought our spacing was good and then I thought because guys passed up good shots to get great shots, we were able to get high-quality looks and guys stepped up and knocked them down,” McMahon said. “I think it was just a product of having good shooters on our team, I expect us to shoot the ball well. The unselfishness led to some high-quality looks and guys delivered.”