re: If you’re melting about the MBB program…

I’ve never seen so many people worked up about the men’s basketball program. We aren’t a basketball school. Kinda fills a void between the end of football and baseball.

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the men's basketball program

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...was the main event between football season and football season back when I was an undergrad in the early 1970's.

To think I canceled chemistry lab back in the spring semester 1972, because on Monday and Wednesday nights, when the lab held session, was the same time as the basketball games in the brand-new PMAC! Basketball was more a priority than STEM education! And this was all to support a team which fired the coach after going 10-16.

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rehire Will Wade

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That will never happen under the current administration. SW will walk barefoot on hot coals and lie down on a bed of nails before that happens

The NCAA is an absolute joke. But they had Wade dead to rights. And then the dumbass lawyers up. You don’t lawyer up when you make $3 mil a year and the admins at the time were trying to wide him in every way possible

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Can someone translate please?

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The Man was out to do him wrong.

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So far you haven't even given it 1 year. For a program that was completely gutted and facing sanctions.

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The Wadeophiles do not accept your premise. Without any evidence, they believe that this huckster was the greatest basketball coach on this earth.

I'm not. I never really followed MBB until Wade. Simply put, I don't think this guy is a good coach and for the following reasons. No coach in LSU MBB history has had a start like had, ever. Not only that, but in contrast, he had a critical advantage due to the transfer portal. He could have put together a great team. The jury is out, these guys aren't that good either but you get my point.

This also stems from a very large problem in college sports. The contracts are getting RIDICULOUSLY high for coaches just coming into the SEC and some are getting slaughtered. These colleges are overpaying crazy amounts for unproven coaches. Now in this situation, LSU is stuck with this massive bill on his salary when they could have waited until he proved himself for a year or 2.

Not only can LSU not fire him without paying for his contract, but they are stuck with him with NO OPTIONS. LSU MBB has been set back a decade with this hire and I don't plan on following it again for a while. Wade brought me into the game and how they handled his situation was anything but abysmal.

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Simply put, I don't think this guy is a good coach and for the following reasons. No coach in LSU MBB history has had a start like had, ever. Not only that, but in contrast, he had a critical advantage due to the transfer portal. He could have put together a great team. The jury is out, these guys aren't that good either but you get my point.

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McMahon, to his credit, put together what should be a solid roster after inheriting a team with no returning players. The opinion of the quality of the roster was not just that of overly optimistic LSU fans, but everyone who covers and analyzes college basketball for a living. That also includes every one of the posters who now say they knew this roster was horrible from day one. Note, I said "solid", not great. NO ONE expected this team to compete for an SEC championship. NO ONE expected them to reach the NCAA Tournament (though more than a few felt they could have an outside shot at that). But NO ONE expected them to be dead fricking last in an SEC where the bottom wasn't supposed to be that great.

Where the frustration and hopelessness comes from his McMahon has not even come close to the ridiculously low preseason expectations of him. In a league that saw 6 schools hire new HCs, McMahon has been the worst of the group. And NONE of those guys walked into great situations. Every one of those teams was hit with significant roster turnover. All of the coaches had to significantly rebuild the rosters through HS signees and the transfer portal. And by all accounts of those who evaluate such, McMahon did one of the better jobs in doing so. Unfortunately, his on the court coaching has been abysmal.

I think the McMahon defenders are under the erroneous presumption that those critical of him are frustrated because LSU is not in the mix for a NCAA Tournament appearance this year...or even wining at as high a level as they did the previous 5 season. That is simply not true. Anyone who follows basketball for more than 2 weeks a year knew this year was likely not going to be a good as the previous 5. That was expected. What wasn't expected and should NOT have been expected was this team being absolutely atrocious once SEC play started. I can't recall the last time I've seen an LSU coach look so overmatched in year one.

Maybe, MAYBE, fans could look over this disaster of a season if there was some objective basis for optimism in the future. Not unlike Jones and Wade who each signed top 10 recruiting classes ahead of their second seasons. Instead, McMahon arguably has a worse recruiting class going into year two and very little confidence he can reap a ton of benefits in the transfer portal. For all of those blaming everything on the roster this season, just know there is a very real chance next year's roster is WORSE

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This also stems from a very large problem in college sports. The contracts are getting RIDICULOUSLY high for coaches just coming into the SEC and some are getting slaughtered. These colleges are overpaying crazy amounts for unproven coaches. Now in this situation, LSU is stuck with this massive bill on his salary when they could have waited until he proved himself for a year or 2.

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Coaches have all of the leverage. Not just at LSU. LSU NEEDED a new HC. McMahon didn't need LSU. Realistically, McMahon is not making an outrageous salary compared to the new SEC hires

Mike White (UGA) - $3.4M annually
Todd Golden (Florida) - $3.0M annually
Matt McMahon (LSU) - $2.9M annually
Dennis Gates (Missouri) - $2.5M annually
Chris Jans (MSU) - $2.4M annually
Lamont Paris (S. Carolina) $2.2M annually

Of that list, White was the only one who had been the HC of a major conf. program before. The others were all mid-major hires and, in March of 2022, you could reasonably say McMahon had the best resume of the bunch. From a market perspective McMahon's salary isn't ridiculous. And from his perspective I would have likewise demanded job security in contract negotiations when deciding whether or not to leave my current job where I was successful.

The bottom line is the hire hasn't worked at all this year. Could things get better? Of course. But there just isn't anything one could point to that gives you a sense it will. That's the frustrating part.

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Where the frustration and hopelessness comes from his McMahon has not even come close to the ridiculously low preseason expectations of him. In a league that saw 6 schools hire new HCs, McMahon has been the worst of the group. And NONE of those guys walked into great situations. Every one of those teams was hit with significant roster turnover. All of the coaches had to significantly rebuild the rosters through HS signees and the transfer portal. And by all accounts of those who evaluate such, McMahon did one of the better jobs in doing so. Unfortunately, his on the court coaching has been abysmal.

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Precisely my point. I didn't expect to win anything at all but I did not expect to go 1-13 or worse. I think we are aligned here.

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What wasn't expected and should NOT have been expected was this team being absolutely atrocious once SEC play started. I can't recall the last time I've seen an LSU coach look so overmatched in year one.

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Agreed, I am not sure this guy was ready for SEC play. I looked at his record at his previous school and was not certain it would translate well in this league, however I am a newer fan of MBB as I only watched since Wade. I liked his posture and energy, but I don't normally watch basketball. His demeanor for me says it all in his conferences and his production on the court.

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For all of those blaming everything on the roster this season, just know there is a very real chance next year's roster is WORSE

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Yes, this is the worst part of it all. There is nothing positive to look to in the future years of this program. If he couldn't get who he wanted year one with a fresh rebuild and promises to young recruits coming to establish their identity in the program, I'm not sure year 2 will be better considering their results and performance on the first year. A few wins could have shown some promise, but as a recruit looking at these results has to make you think is it even worth considering attending this university? I'd think not.

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Coaches have all of the leverage. Not just at LSU. LSU NEEDED a new HC.

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Agree and disagree here. I don't think they have all the leverage. If you're looking at a well-established proven coach looking for a job, then absolutely. This guy isn't considered one of the best and we weren't exactly in competition with any major basketball schools during the hiring period. It's not the same if you'd compared it to let's say a Calipari looking for a school in his prime.

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The bottom line is the hire hasn't worked at all this year. Could things get better? Of course. But there just isn't anything one could point to that gives you a sense it will. That's the frustrating part.

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Exactly, and to a MBB true fan these results aren't promising and next year might not be any better.

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Do you think we’re going to get better? Honestly tell me.

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I bet he doesn't even know anything about LSU basketball.