TigerPatriot87

Trace Young from Colorado State has barely played in his three years and is likely a walk-on if anything. He is not a scholarship-level player and cannot find anything that shows a commitment to LSU. This makes no sense. Hannibal would be a far better option as the backup point guard.

You very well might be right if point guard is the only position we would consider. However, it would seem logical that we would seek to improve if a player (such as RaeQuan Battle) came available. Pullin was unique since he is capable of playing off the ball and could effectively pair with Cook. This is not the case with all point guards.

With Bob Huggins resignation from West Virginia something to watch might be the loss of their exceptional transfer class. In particular RaeQuan Battle may be back on the market and LSU expressed interest when he initially entered the portal. He is an extremely athletic and explosive 6-5 guard/forward with tremendous leaping ability and the capability to score from 3-point range. It appears that we have 13 scholarships filled so someone would have to leave but there was something going on when we got to the final 2 with Zyon Pullin so wouldn't be surprised if there was a move available for the right player.

RaeQuan Battle Transfer Portal Highlights

Based upon information for what is currently listed on this thread, LSU is at 13 scholarships for 2023-2024. That has caused some to question how it would be possible to accommodate a scholarship for Zyon Pullin without someone leaving. While there does not appear to be any clarification on this situation at this point it should be noted under ESPN's "comings and goings" that Trae Hannibal is listed under "players not returning or expected to return."

This would fit since McMahon has been strategically looking to improve the team and Hannibal is very limited shooting from the perimeter. The presence of Cook, Stewart, and Wright would likely squeeze Hannibal out of minutes since his defender can play off of him and help clog the lane. While his defensive intensity and hard-nosed style of play has a place somewhere, it doesn't appear that he would have a significant role on this year's team. Zyon Pullin, on the other hand, is a 6-4 guard who can be highly effective in the mid-range and shoots well from 3-point range as well as being an effective playmaker. Potentially, Pullin could play in smaller lineups with Cook and Stewart or off the ball. It appears really odd that LSU would continue recruiting if all the scholarships were filled so believe that Pullin may actually be in play for LSU to add. If so, that would be a great get! Timing is everything in releasing news so we may not hear an announcement until Pullin or another player is added but the decision may have already been made for Hannibal to depart.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/36282597/ncaa-division-men-college-basketball-2023-24-rosters-departures-changes

Wow! So excited to see Daimion Collins will be transferring to LSU Men's Basketball! Back on May 2nd I listed him among desired options for the "player with size" that we needed from among the final two scholarships.

*Daimion Collins from Kentucky just entered the portal last week and will have 2 years of eligibility. He only played 7-8 minutes per game but was stuck behind Oscar Tshiebwe. He was a Parade All-American, has great athleticism and screams potential. He had a rough season losing his father and grandfather and is likely looking to get closer to home. LSU looks to be about a 5 hour drive to where he lived in Texas so could be realistic.

At the time there wasn't really anything linking him to LSU but this is a huge pickup and expect himself, Baker, and Fountain to share the majority of minutes at the Power Forward and Center positions along with a smaller dose of Dean. This is someone with insane athleticism and potential who really needed an opportunity to get more minutes. He provides a strong shot blocking presence and has demonstrated flashes of a post game and perimeter shot along with being an elite lob threat. Great finish to the class and really looking forward to seeing how he will add to a much improved roster. He has two years of SEC experience and two years of eligibility.

Here are a couple of highlight videos:
2021-2022 Highlights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEQYcky2Xns
2022-2023 Highlights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq6fcEm3kOY

McMahon is looking hard at the portal to fill his remaining two spots. Another option for the big to help up front with Fountain, Reed, Baker, and Chest could be Brandon Gardner from the 2023 class. He is an ESPN Top 100 (currently #81) and is a 6'7" 210 lb. forward out of Christ the King HS in New York. LSU was in his final four and he has visited. Offered first by Wade but then reoffered by McMahon. Originally committed to St. John's but asked out of his NLI about a month ago after meeting with Rick Pitino. Really good athlete, can play on the perimeter, but rugged rebounder and thrives in the paint. Can find little news on his recruitment after decommitting from St. John's. Would love to add Moussa Cisse, Aziz Bandaogo, Grant Nelson, Isaac Jones, or Daimion Collins out of the portal but Gardner could likely help as well.

*According to the Transfer Portal Report (TPR) LSU did reach out to Aziz Bandaogo from Utah Valley who is a 7'0" center that averaged 11.5 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game. He also shot 60% from the field. He has been mentioned previously in this thread but would be an amazing addition if McMahon can pull it off. Lots of interest from other high major programs. Pairing him in the floor with Will Baker might be an issue. Baker certainly has the offensive game to play away from the basket but not sure how well he would guard on the perimeter. Bandaogo would drastically impact the game defensively and erase a lot of mistakes on defense.

Here is some information about the timetable for entering the transfer portal:

What Are the NCAA Basketball Transfer Portal rules?

Hope this helps!

With two scholarships remaining the two biggest needs appear to be bigger guard who is a plus defender or a wing who can score and defend might also be an option.

The big question at this point is the status of the offer to Joe Girard. He gives us scoring and experience but his size and defensive abilities are in question. Given that Stewart and Cook are already on the roster it seems a different type of player is needed. Here are some potential options that would seem worthy to pursue:

*Tyrin Lawrence from Vanderbilt would be an outstanding choice if interested. His size, scoring ability, ballhandling, SEC experience, and defense make him a great fit. He did visit Auburn this past week and his comments regarding the visit indicated he enjoyed it. Kentucky is also reaching out. Hopefully Jordan Wright will continue to use his recruiting skills to put LSU into the equation.

*Jordan Dingle from Penn was the NCAA's 2nd leading scorer and just went in the portal recently. He is a ball-dominant guard and at 6'3" has good size as well. Kentucky reached out immediately when he entered the portal and there will be lots of competition for his services.

*Tanner Holden from Ohio State who had three productive seasons at Wright State where he averaged 20 points and 7 rebounds shooting close to 50% in 2021-2022. He didn't play as much at Ohio State and was caught behind Brice Sensabaugh who in a potential NBA player but could probably helped the team with points and rebounds.

*Anthony Dell'Orso from Campbell is a more "under the radar" possibility coming over from Australia and playing in a one-bid league. However, he has 3 years of eligibility and was the Big South newcomer of the year averaging 12.5 points per game and stands about 6'6". He shot about 49% and grabbed close to 7 rebounds a game.

The other crying need is another player with size. Currently the roster only includes four players taller than 6'6" (Will Baker, Jalen Reed, Derek Fountain, and Corey Chest) and one of them (Chest) is a freshmen so it is uncertain what he will contribute. If an injury occurs then there will be a bigger problem with rebounding and interior defense so this issue must be addressed. Here are some possible options:

*Moussa Cisse, LSU has reached out and he has familiarity with the program. Obviously he's a tremendous defender and moves extremely well for someone his size. Although he probably won't score a high volume his highlight film does show some examples of solid post moves and a fairly smooth jump shot near the basket.

*Isaac Jones from Idaho just entered the portal in the last week. He is a relative unknown but will be in great demand given his performance this past season where he was Big Sky newcomer of the year and averaged 19 points and 8 rebounds. He was 6'5" in high school and had zero scholarship offers, worked at a pipe and supply store for the first year out of high school but also grew 3 inches. He walked on at a community college and now stands 6'9" and is 242 lbs. He is an explosive leaper, can handle the ball and can score in a variety of ways. This would be a great get.

*Daimion Collins from Kentucky just entered the portal last week and will have 2 years of eligibility. He only played 7-8 minutes per game but was stuck behind Oscar Tshiebwe. He was a Parade All-American, has great athleticism and screams potential. He had a rough season losing his father and grandfather and is likely looking to get closer to home. LSU looks to be about a 5 hour drive to where he lived in Texas so could be realistic.

*Aziz Bandaogo from Utah Valley is also a recent portal addition and is a pure center so not sure he and Baker could be on the court together. The Portal Report (TPR) indicates Duke, Cincinnati, Kansas, Vanderbilt, Illinois, and Cal have reached out.

*Parker Braun from Santa Clara recently also entered the portal. He's the older brother of Christian Braun of the Denver Nuggets but taller at 6'10". Spent two years at Missouri and the past two seasons at Santa Clara where he averaged about 8 points and 6 rebounds in 2022-2023 as a starter. He has some ballhandling skills and can shoot the 3-pointer although his percentage was not particularly good this past season from the arc. LSU would have a connection with former teammate Carlos Stewart if there was a desire to go that route.

*Ven-Allen Lubin from Notre Dame has been mentioned previously in this thread and goes about 6'8" and 226 pounds with 3 years of eligibility. He is very athletic and has a great deal of upside. He played about 17 minutes per game as a freshman in the ACC and averaged about 6 points and 4.4 rebounds so could contribute.

We'll be eager to see how McMahon fills these last two spots. The majority of the top 100 transfers on On3 have committed already but there have been some quality late additions to the portal so hope they can add some useful pieces to the roster. Full disclosure that I have no inside information and gathered all this information from a wide variety of sources on the internet. Some of these players have reported which schools have shown interest and some have not. Cisse and Lawrence are the only ones that have indicated interest from LSU.