LSU Basketball Begins Search For Best 9 Tonight In Season Opener Vs. Louisiana-Monroe

Jalen Reed
LSU junior forward Jalen Reed is only returnee who will be in starting lineup tonight when the Tigers open the season against Louisiana-Monroe at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. (LSU photo).

By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor

The LSU basketball team used 12 of 15 players last week in beating Loyola of New Orleans, 110-48, in an exhibition game. Nine of those scored seven points or more, and 10 played 10 minutes or more.

The Tigers step up somewhat in opposition to open the regular season tonight (7 p.m., SEC Network+) against Louisiana-Monroe (1-0), which beat Champion Christian, 111-61, at home Monday. Then it’s a trip next week to play on Nov. 14 at Kansas State, which reached the Elite Eight last season and finished 26-10.

“The ultimate goal is to get to nine,” LSU coach Matt McMahon said Tuesday when asked how many he wants in his final rotation.

The starters include returning junior starter Jalen Reed (6-foot-10, 240 pounds) at forward and four newcomers, who are led by transfer senior guard Cam Carter (6-3, 190) of Kansas State via East Ascension High in Gonzales. Reed scored 10 points with five rebounds in the exhibition, while Carter scored 21 with 5-of-8 shooting from 3-point range.

The other transfer starters are senior guard Jordan Sears (5-11, 185) from Tennessee-Martin and senior guard Dji Bailey (6-5, 195) of Richmond. Sears scored 16 with 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range, and Bailey added 10 with four assists.

The fifth starter will be true freshman forward Robert Miller III (6-10, 220) of Memorial High in Pasadena, Texas. He scored seven points with nine rebounds with two blocked shots last week.

LSU BASKETBALL HAS DEPTH OPTIONS

Junior forward Daimion Collins (6-9, 200), a very talented transfer from Kentucky who sat out last season at LSU with a shoulder injury, scored seven points with nine rebounds off the bench and blocked three shots in 19 minutes.

True freshman point guard Curtis Givens III scored 10 points with 2-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc and had two assists in 20 minutes. Returning sophomore guard Mike Williams III (6-3, 180) scored 11 points with 3-of-6 shooting from 3-point range with two steals in 17 minutes.

True freshman combination guard Vyctorius Miller (6-5, 185) scored nine points with one 3-pointer out of four attempts in 18 minutes. Redshirt freshman forward Corey Chest (6-8, 220) scored four points with three rebounds in only 10 minutes, and senior guard Trace Young (6-3, 185), a returnee who transferred from Colorado State before last season at LSU, had the highlight of the game in his three minutes with a fall-away, mid-range jumper.

“Yeah, that was beautiful,” McMahon said. “He drove, went to the Kobe (Bryant) reverse pivot fadeaway from 17 feet and knocked it down.”

If things go right, McMahon hopes to play double-digit players again tonight and frequently a four-guard lineup.

“I like the depth of our back court,” he said. “We were able to play six guards. I do like what we were able to do with four guards as far as changing the pace of the game, the ability to shoot the three and space the floor to open up driving lanes. It’s not anything we would do for 40 minutes a night, but I do like it in spurts, especially late in games.”

McMahon called the 18 combined rebounds from forwards Collins and Robert Miller III “fantastic” and praised their athleticism and length.

“Both are terrific as defenders and on the glass,” he said. “Curtis Givens will play a role certainly on this team at point guard. He’s solidified his spot there. Corey Chest has a high motor and is one of the better instinctual rebounders I’ve been around in my time. And he can guard multiple positions – the post, and he’s quick on the perimeter. Daimion Collins has really solidified his spot in the rotation. Really excited about what he’s going to do this year.”

Decisions, decisions, but not quite yet.

“There’s some options as you start looking at the rotations,” McMahon said.

TYRELL WARD STATUS?

And there will be more options when senior returning forward Derek Fountain (6-10, 220) plays tonight and if junior returning guard Tyrell Ward (6-6, 195) plays in the near future. Both missed the exhibition.

Fountain, who went down hard in a practice recently, has a minor injury and is “available,” McMahon said. He was unclear on Ward’s status as there has been talk of him red-shirting or entering the transfer portal.

“Tyrell Ward will not be available,” he said.

When asked if it was short or long term issue with Ward, McMahon said, “No, just unavailable for (the game), and that is really all there is to say about it right now, moving forward.”

Ward averaged 9.1 points a game last season at LSU in 31 games with 10 starts after averaging 3.7 as a freshman.

It was Ward’s tip-in at the buzzer that beat Kentucky, 75-74, last season before fans and LSU women’s star forward Angel Reese rushed the court.

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