re: 2024-2025 Men's Basketball Roster

quote:

---

The downfall of Mwani is quite depressing to me. He was my favorite player on WW's teams, all for him to flounder under MM. I'm aware he was hurt, but for him to ride the bench and be put in the same time as the walk ons is just depressing...

Don't know if he's not fully healthy, if the injury altered him, if MM dislikes him, or what. Would love to know.

---

Against Tennessee Wilkinson played 20 minutes. He almost single-handily ignited the second half run to cut a 20 lead in half and at least give LSU a pulse. So what happens next?

In a game where LSU was desperate for perimeter defense and could have used a few 3’s to keep pace Wilkinson doesn’t play until the game is out of hand.

I never know if McMahon’s rotations have any rhyme or reason. I think he predetermines a game plan and simply refuses to deviate from it. If it works and LSU can get a close win…great! If not, he just accepts the arse-kicking without much desire to try to change course.

Above all, I think the thing he lacks most is a feel for the game. All coaches at the college level understand the X’s and O’s. The good ones can generally feel the way the game is going for their team an make the small adjustments in game that can cause big dividends.

Case in point. Dean came in about the 14:00 mark of the second half. At that point LSU was able to string together some one possession stops to claw back in and eventually take the lead. Then at the 8:00 (or so) mark he puts Baker back in. Alabama immediately goes on a 22-6 run in 4 minutes to blow the game open.

Yes, Baker had a great first half offensively. But you had to understand you got the lead on the heels of solid rebounding and defense. Baker’s offense at that point wasn’t what LSU needed. They needed to continue to get stops and hang in. Instead, one coaching decision, and the refusal to accept it was the wrong move turned a tight battle into a blowout.

What works and what doesn’t often changes multiple times during a game. A coach has to be able to sense that and respond accordingly to the flow

All that’s sounds wonderful, but to not upset the Wade Haters & McBland Clan, those guys you are comparing them to are former 5*s & 4*s recruited by the General.
McIhave6moreyrs has no talent of that magnitude coming and loses all the scoring off a low low tier SEC cellar dweller team. Can one of the McMen please give me a honest assessment of the future of MBB at LSU. I love College Basketball, I love LSU but from what I’ve seen 6-22 in the SEC, the future looks bleak. And please refrain from using Wade’s name in the answer. It reminds me of Biden/Kamala still blaming Trump for the shtstorm this country is going through. Please answer truthfully with no hypotheticals and ifs.

quote:

---

It'd be stunning if he stuck around here for a 5th year. He started more as a true freshman on a tourney team than he has on two bad teams under McMahon. Not saying it's McMahon's fault since Mwani has been injured but it clearly hasn't worked out for Mwani under him.

---

He's the best on ball defender on the team and McMahon refuses to play him.

He would be more of an asset if he could handle the ball and create opportunities with his athleticism.

quote:

---

I swear just 3 weeks ago people were saying this dude was our savior

---

It is kind of amazing that he went from the missing piece and the reason the non conference results were poor to being a terrible fit for the system and one of the main reasons we can’t compete in the top half of the conference.

quote:

---

Ward were supposed to be talented building blocks. If they are already hopeless, we are really screwed.

---

Ward is far from hopeless. Think he may play a significant role next year. 2nd poster is spot on about Chest being there for rebounding.

Givens is probably the most important piece here, a pure PG. Much needed. May bring more out of other players. Don’t forget about Williams as a rotational player. Guess I wouldn’t mind Reed at C, but wouldn’t mind a transfer center either. Wouldn’t write off Miller so soon.

On its face the incomplete ‘25 roster already seems more complementary than what we have. This year our PG only wants to score off pick & rolls + our C is only good for points off jump shots. Best rebounder is either Fountain or Dean & neither of them are even starters. Wright may be your biggest loss.

Mwani is a nice complementary piece…on a good team

A corner 3 and D guy with athleticism and a little size

He can’t shine on a shite team like we’ve been the last couple years.

quote:

---

In back to back possessions at a critical point in the game he took step back threes and missed without seemingly a thought of running any offense....

---

Cook seems like he’s one of those guys who’s hard to coach. Told y’all he has a tendency to default to hero ball. Those back to back chucks were momentum killers

PG: Cook / CG3
SG: Williams / Stewart
SF: Ward / Mwani
PF: Reed / Fountain / Chest
C: Collins / Miller

That leaves us with 2 spots. One we likely take another hs recruit at SG / SF. With the last spot we go to the portal to get a veteran center.

If Cook leaves we look to replace him with a portal pg, but I don't see him leaving.

Regardless we should do well in the portal as we are shopping for 1 or 2 guys as opposed to the 6+ guys we needed in the past. Further we are adding them to a solid team as opposed to making it mostly from the portal.

I have no idea what we will actually get from miller, chest, collins, or givens.
Stewart is puzzling, but there isn’t really a reason to believe he will be as productive as he was at Santa Clara.
I don’t know why the board is so down on Reed. He’s 6’10” 220 lbs and more athletic than most of the bigs he faces. If he can play just a little more disciplined, I think he is a better big than baker, fountain, or dean. His soft touch around the rim has gotten better, but still needs work. He’s also improving as a rim protector.
This might sound dumb down the road, but I think Mike Williams is an all-sec caliber player if he sticks around till his junior season. He shoots and passes well, he is a good defender and coachable. He needs to gain a little strength and sometimes he struggles when getting pressed. But he is just a freshman.
There is no reason to think ward can’t be a starter and give you 10-15 pts a game. Sometimes he is a spectator on defense. His motor is lacking, and that is a hard thing to teach. It’s more instinctual. I think he could fill a scoring role that cook currently fills if he were to leave, we would need to have another guard capable of facilitating however.
I think we need a big if collins and chest aren’t ready, a combo guard, and maybe an athletic small forward who defends the 2-4 (maybe that’s mwani, but he just seems to ride the pine idk)