re: Does Matt McMahon face the toughest coaching challenge in LSU history?

No he does not have the toughest coaching challenge in LSU history. What John Brady went through to me was a lot worse. Not to mention its not even a top 2 sport at LSU. Our fans as a whole care much more about Football and Baseball.

Kelly has been given a crap shoot of a program thanks to O and his staff after 19.

Nick Saban inherited a program that was dead.

quote:

---

That team still had talent in players like Skylar Mays, Duop Reath, etc.

---

And yet, those guys still helped lead the team to the worst SEC record in school history. You can deflect, but nothing about that statement is factually incorrect.

quote:

---

And there were no sanctions looming over the program that would affect recruiting.

---

There are no sanctions as we sit here today. In fact, LSU is has been less than a month since LSU received their NOA. Louisville and Memphis received NOA's months/years ago...still no resolution. It took over 2 years from the date of the NOA for the IARP to issue a ruling on NC State's case. The fans are more terrified of the "looming sanctions" than the players

quote:

---

That is a 2 way street. Without the immediate transfer rule, does the entire team transfer out this year?

---

Probably not. But the distinction is Brady and Wade were tasked with turning over losing rosters (LSU was 10-20 the year before Brady's first season; 10-21 the year before Wade's first season) without the advantage of having the ability to bring in quality veteran players who were immediately eligible. That makes the rebuild a slower process unless you bring in supremely talented HS signees like Wade did. McMahon is likely going to lose most (maybe all) of a talented winning roster through no fault of his own. But, unlike Brady and Wade, he has much more access to good veteran players he can bring in through the transfer portal.

We saw this year just how quickly the tranfer portal can change the fortunes of a team/program. Auburn had a losing record last season. After the season they lost 5 underclassmen (3 transferred and 2 were drafted). However, the were able to bring in 4 impact transfers along with one big time HS recruit. That took them from a team with a losing record to SEC Champs and #2 seed in the span of one year. Iowa St. went from 2-22 to the Sweet 16.

Don't worry I am sure when Mr. McMahon starts winning games they will be the same group shitting on the people who think he is doing a good job


Tis the ecosystem of the rant

quote:

---

So you say I am an idiot for saying we will struggle to win SEC games

---

You said they wouldn't win an SEC game for two years. That is a bit different from suggesting LSU may struggle to win SEC games.

quote:

---

(you continue to use the flawed analogy of Iowa St who were not under sanctions)

---

LSU is not under sanctions.

And there is no indication whatsoever sanctions are imminent. LSU is one of 6 schools under investigation by the IARP. LSU was the 5th of the 6 schools to receive a NOA...which was less than a month ago. Only NC State's case has been decided...and it took over 2 years from the date of the NOA to do so. Memphis, Arizona, Louisville all received NOA's well before LSU did. Their cases STILL haven't been decided. It has been over a year since Arizona received a NOA...still no decision. And speaking of Arizona their poor first year HC had to operate under the "shroud of imminent sanctions" this season. How was he ever going to get players with that dark cloud hanging over him? Don't know. But whatever he did must have worked considering they went 33-4 this season.

I didn't want to see LSU get rid of Wade just as much as the next guy. But I'm also reasonable enough to give the new HC more than nine (9) days to build his staff/roster before declaring LSU basketball dead for the next 2, 3, 4, 5 years. How about we wait to October to see where things stand before we swallow a grenade.

I said:

"You think we will field an SEC roster? I believe we will likely lose every SEC conference game for the next two years. Good news will be if the guys have a really good night and win 1 or 2 SEC games. The only competitive games we will have is when we play the Louisiana teams in our non-conference schedule."

You have selective reading just like your selective analysis.

I said LSU is under the spectrum of sanctions. Again selective reading.

And yes Arizona hit gold with Lloyd but LSU is not Arizona in basketball and Lloyd who recruited for Gonzaga is not CMM either.

I am not advocating for anyone to swallow a grenade...just trying to be realistic as to the obstacles CMM is facing. Hey you can wallow in the hay with your purple sunglasses and think the basketball prophet was just hired...I chose to take a more sober and likely approach and be pleasantly surprised if I am wrong.

They came because of Wade, what a moronic statement. Some people are going to have to take basketball knowledge lessons, just to see the talent WW brought in and what we field as a team next year.

I have a question. In today’s environment, why will sanctions make recruiting such a nightmare scenario? College players want to play. Most of them have dreams of playing at the next level. In order to do so, the one thing that is most important is visibility.

Today, every game is available on TV if you are at LSU (or any SEC school, for that matter). That gives you the visibility. Is the tournament and Final Four a goal? Of course. But it isn’t the showcase it once was.

I think we will find that there are enough quality players who want to play for a coach who has success like McMahon. I think the current players are just seeing what happens when they declare themselves on the market. I might very well be wrong about this, but I would expect several of the portal players to withdraw and come back next year to play for LSU. With the big caveat that McMahon wants them for his team and system. Just because someone was a good player for Wade doesn’t necessarily mean they will fit in our new system and get the same playing time.

TLDR: I think everyone is way overreacting about “impending sanctions”. I don’t think the kids will put nearly as much weight behind that as fans are.

I've always considered Roger a commonsensical poster. Now he's acting like a jilted lover.
Strange?

I doubt there are any true fans who don't wish McMahon great success.
I don't expect it, but I hope he exceeds Wade's records. I hope we beat KY and TN home and away next season.

quote:

---

For the high school recruits, the sanctions and post season ban would mean everything to them. They want to have a chance to make a run in the Tourney. Their extended friends are only tuning in for March Madness, not watching mid-season games against Alabama.

Also for high school players, but also some transfers, they don't want to get stuck on a team that will get overmatched and blown out during the season. The chances of that are big for LSU if there are scholarship reductions and postseason bans affecting other recruits. And the uncertainty of how bad it will get is possibly worse than the sanctions.

---

Fans care more about the NCAA Tournament than the players. I know that is a tough pill to swallow, but it is true. It's not that players don't care. It's that they care FAR more about going somewhere they feel the coaching staff will develop them into a professional player....ASAP. And they want to play for a coaching staff with whom they have a connection to. That's why a top-40 recruit like Rocket Watts transfers to a perennial NCAAT program in Michigan St. to play for Mississippi St.,...a program that has made ONE NCAA Tournament in the last decade. It's why Adam Miller leaves a strong Illinois program to come to LSU. Illinois was a #1 seed last season and historically a much stronger program than LSU. Miller was a starter. Yet, he felt Wade could develop him better for the next level. It's why players from Penn St., Kansas, UNLV, Minnesota, etc transfer to an Iowa St. program coming off a horrible 2-22 season. Certainly no one would have said last summer Iowa St. was likely to reach the NCAA Tournament. Yet, none of those guys cared. Their main objective was to go somewhere that allowed them the opportunity to play more.

Kansas received a NOA 3 years ago. Their case is still undecided in the IARP. They just signed 4 top 50 HS players...despite "facing sanctions". Arizona's case is still pending. They received a NOA over a year ago. They have a 4 and 5 star committed for 2023. LSU has been facing (to quote our AD) a "cloud of negativity" for 3 years. Didn't matter. 4 and 5 star players were signing to play here.

LSU is still a SEC team. They are still going to face SEC competition. LSU is still a high profile "brand" in college sports. Matt McMahon specifically said that is one of the reasons he came here. Given his success at Murray St. he had other options besides LSU. Yet, despite the "pending sanctions" he chose to come here.

There are over 1,000 players in the transfer portal now. A list that continues to grow daily. LSU looks to have PLENTY of immediate playing time available. That is going to entice players...HS and transfers.

For the record, I don't think LSU will be an NCAA Tournament team next year. I think if they can finish in the middle of the SEC would be a great accomplishment. But I'm not like others here who are absolutely convinced LSU is going to go into some years long depression of being one of the worst programs in major college basketball.

quote:

---

I doubt there are any true fans who don't wish McMahon great success.

---

Nobody really wants LSU to lose. It's ridiculous to say such a thing.