LSU MBB Basketball Talk (in general) with Philips/Miller out (and others) - Wright/Cook in

It’s not good.

I was actually ok with us being 6-12 at worst due to the sec being stacked. MM dragging us to 2-16 and the recruiting class he has doesn’t give much hope that we will be better. We didn’t see any real adapting to the sec as the year went on. His in game coaching leaves a lot to br desired, his recruiting is currently Trent johnson level bad, and to top it off guys with his personality really don’t win in the sec. We have zero excitement with MBB right now and it starts at the top. Then to make things worse everyone but usc easily has a better coach than us.

This sucks after so much hope to see the program just helpless. I’d need to see at least 9-9 to have some hope for the future but I’m not sure MM
Can get to 9 wins even if we have him 3 years to do it.

If we don’t see massive improvement next year we can probably go ahead and bury him. Year 2 is where great coaches generally take a big step forward, plus he has the portal.

You think 8th place classes win the sec? That’s back half of the league and we were the absolute worst team in the league last year.

I’d love for MM to prove me wrong but 8/14 ain’t going to do it.

8th isn’t winning the SEC. Never said that. It’s simply better than 2-16 which you said won’t be improved upon

We should be much better next season. The kids will know the system better

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So far I see them trading a bunch of mediocre role players for other mediocre role players. I hope I'm wrong.

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Cook is waaaaaay better than anybody that is transferring out. Wright is a good addition too. Problem is they need a lot of dudes and they need more from McMahon on the bench. But these guys are better than the outgoing ones.

“Talking points” aka facts. McMild stinks on the recruiting trail. Why is this so hard for you McMen to comprehend? Dude is low energy and will never be able to compete in this league

It's impossible to know what kind of team they'll have next year at this point. He's sitting on maybe half a roster. But I can't get very optimistic, and I'll tell you why.

As of right now here's what you have coming back:

Derek Fountain - wildly inconsistent, mostly because half the time he's a foul machine. Reasonably decent low-post player, OK rebounder at times, not a great defender largely owing to the foul problems. Turns it over way too much. He and Hayes are your leading returning players, but you're better off if Fountain is your third guy rotating in the post.

Jalen Reed - should have been a good player for us, might become a good player for us, looks like a stud on the hoof, was atrocious. At this point he's a reclamation project with size and that's it.

Mwani Wilkinson - last year was a wash because he wasn't healthy. When he is he'll give you some defense and rebounding and he's a decent catch-and-shoot guy from 3. But he's been here three years and can't create a shot, nor does he seem to have any desire to. Barring some great coming-out party next year, he's just another guy who doesn't give you upper-end SEC play.

Tyrell Ward - showed tiny signs of production, but only tiny. Worth keeping, but you can't pencil him in as a starter without evidence he's on the verge of a big breakout and that doesn't exist right now.

Cam Hayes - looked before his ankle injury like he might become something, and after the ankle he mostly struggled. Not a high percentage shooter, somewhat efficient with the ball, average defender. Decent bench player but not much more.

Trae Hannibal - brings some hustle and some defense. Can't shoot a lick, not particularly efficient at the only thing he does offensively which is bull his way into the lane looking to get fouled. Also a bench player but not much more.

And as of right now here are the four newcomers you're bringing in...

Jalen Cook - comes in immediately as your starting point guard and is likely a massive improvement over the Juice Hill/Trae Hannibal/Cam Hayes/Justice Williams four-headed monster you had last year. Should give you a greatly improved three-point shot from the backcourt, a thief in the passing lanes, some shot creation. Not a terrific on-ball defender, and sometimes will struggle with turnovers particularly against pressure defense.

Jordan Wright - good athlete, great kid, plays hard, and when he's hot he can be a nice 3-point bomber from the wing. A borderline SEC athlete, doesn't create his own shot very much, a so-so defender. He's a nice 3rd or 4th scoring option and he won't beat you. Perfectly good addition, likely the starting 3.

Corey Chest - will need to be an impact player, but at #108 nationally it's up in the air whether he can be. Very athletic and has some skill. Is he strong enough to bang in the paint as a freshman? Probably not. Should give minutes in the post rotation, and it's reasonable to expect he'll be better than Reed was this past year. Probably a surprise if he's a starter.

Mike Williams - rated #168 nationally, and the film on him that you can find on YouTube is very meh. Looks like just another combo guard without much special about him. Hard to see him playing ahead of what we already have.

So that's nine players, and you need four more. Frankly, you need at least two starters and probably two more heavy rotation guys in the four you've yet to sign.

There is very little reason to believe we'll get more than a handful of games better than 2-16 in the league next year without at least a couple of monster signings to come.

And the other names I've heard, Will Baker, R.J. Mack, Amaree Abram and Carlos Stewart, all sound like pretty good players who don't significantly change the equation. Baker is interesting in that he's a 7-0 guy who can shoot the lights out, but he plays zero defense and he's a weak rebounder who'd be on a team desperate for a rim protector and rebounder. Mack is also a suspect rebounder; he had 9 against us, but that was the 2nd most he had all year. Abram and Stewart would improve our guard rotation, perhaps significantly, but I don't know that either are gamebreaking talents.

As of now your ceiling is that you rack up non-conference wins against an easy schedule with a veteran team made up of a bunch of transfers, and then you try to win 7-8 games in the SEC on your way to the NIT.

And that's the ceiling. Which honestly is depressing. LSU's athletic program in every other sport is so far ahead of men's hoops it's unbelievable, and frankly I'm tired of waiting on these people to get it right.

next year:

1. cook
2. amaree abram
3 jordan wright
4. bj mack
5. will baker

not bad

Biggest thing missing is some athletic bigs in the 6’8”-6’10”…. Think Jabari Smith sr., Bigby Williams, Emmit Williams types. Defense, rebounding, rim protection. If you can get 2-3 of these guys, maybe we can finish 7-8 in league

I’ve seen enough. MM needs to go.