re: McMahon appreciates fans who stayed after halftime: "I would have left"

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Ward should have been getting those kind of minutes from the start of the season. Mind numbing how MM benches a genuine 5 star talent the whole season until we start tanking games.

Ward is behind the curve of game readiness now. That's why he looked so awkward his first few games. Imagine how he'd be looking in SEC play if he consistently got minutes from the start of the season. Ridiculous that he rode the bench, now I have to worry about losing him to the portal.

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The suggestion was that Ward "didn't practice well". Thus, the reason for him not playing until now (and seemingly only because Hannibal has been out). IMO, that, amongst other things, has kind of shown McMahon really wasn't prepared to step into major conference basketball. Ward is a 5/(high)4 star recruit. Those guys don't tend to stick around more than a year or two (for a variety of reasons). So you better get what you can out of them while they are here. IIRC, the only 5 star (high 4) recruit that didn't start immediately under Wade was Emmitt Williams. Yet, Williams was a key reserve on the 18-19 team. For better or worse, this isn't the mid-major ranks where you have time to develop players and can cultivate "good practice habits" by sitting them early. Those guys will have options to go elsewhere and they will readily choose to exercise those options. So you better get them on the floor ASAP.

You have also seen that inexperience with how McMahon has handled Jalen Reed. McMahon said at the beginning of the season something along the lines of "he didn't know how to coach a guy like Reed because he'd never had a guy like that". It was meant as a compliment to Reed in that 6'10 guys with perimeter ball handling skills don't make it to the mid-major level. But, in hindsight now, it appears to have also shown how big of a culture shock it was for McMahon jumping into the SEC. 6'10 guys with length and athleticism aren't that uncommon in the SEC and major conferences. They are mostly non-existent in the OVC. I don't think McMahon was prepared for just how great of a difference there is in the overall athleticism between mid-major schools and major-conf schools. That's why he didn't start/play guys like Cam Hayes and Dereck Fountain (both major conf. transfers) early. Because LSU was playing mid-major opponents he didn't realize how necessary it is to have major conf. athletes when you are going against major conf. opponents.

Best case scenario: This year has been a BIG "welcome to major conf. basketball" for McMahon and he now understands what he has to change to compete at this level. He implements those changes in the offseason, both through his approach and talent acquisitions, and LSU starts to improve. However, most importantly, he has to understand that he is not recruiting for the future 2-3 years down the road. He has to recruit to win immediately next season with the expectation he's going to have to largely rebuild the team again the year after that.

Worst case scenario: This level jump is just too overwhelming and he's unable to compete. But, because he has a long contract LSU is reluctant to make a coaching change for a few years and the program has to suffer in apathy for another 3-4 years.

Well said. I agree with everything you said.

It's clear his mindset is structured towards practice habits and 4 year players. That just isn't a reality in the SEC.

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Well said. I agree with everything you said.

It's clear his mindset is structured towards practice habits and 4 year players. That just isn't a reality in the SEC.

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I think that is a little overstated. LSU has had several key players for 4 years like Darius Days and Skylar Mays. Even Smart played 3 years. Yes, if you get a recruit like Cam Hayes or Naz Reid you are going to hold onto them for only 1 or 2 years, but that is largely a problem you are willing to deal with.

I worry about holding onto a Ward, Reed, or even Phillips. But that is more because of the losing streak than playing time. I don't think Ward or Reed had any illusions of going pro early.

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I think that is a little overstated. LSU has had several key players for 4 years like Darius Days and Skylar Mays. Even Smart played 3 years. Yes, if you get a recruit like Cam Hayes or Naz Reid you are going to hold onto them for only 1 or 2 years, but that is largely a problem you are willing to deal with.

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All of whom (except for Days) played in the era before the freedom of transfer rules were in place.

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I don't think Ward or Reed had any illusions of going pro early.

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Every highly rated HS players has illusions of going pro ASAP. That's just human nature. But the concern is no longer just losing those players to the draft. It's losing them to other college teams via transfer. It is not uncommon for guys who are starters on good major-conf. teams to transfer now. I don't think any coach can assume when he signs a guy he is going to have him for more than one season. That is a tough mindset for coaches to have, but one that is necessary in this era of college basketball. If a good player stays 2, 3, 4 years, great! But I don't think you can build your roster with that mindset anymore (at least if you want to win big). So leaving a highly ranked recruit to waste away on the bench while you "develop" him is probably imprudent given he's likely to leave at the end of the season if you don't play him.

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Cam Hayes or Naz Reid

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Thinking you meant Cam Thomas, right??

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I take the good and the bad.
It's not easy, foolishly hopeful is good. Foolishly passionate is me.

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Well, I must be your long lost sister.