Omaha transfer Marquel Sutton will be a tough assignment on both ends of the floor. LSU head coach Matt McMahon explained that Sutton can guard at any position. Photo courtesy of LSU Athletics.
Key Number in Bayou Bengals’ Equation: The variations of information that now exist with the transfer portal and NIL take on different structures. LSU has an unbelievable variation because the transfers and returnees add up to an average of 116 ppg last season.
Red-shirt junior Jalen Reed is the lone returnee to the Tigers’ rotation who adds true-freshman Jalen Reese. Reed suffered a torn ACL in the eighth game of last season in a win over Florida State.
The trust between McMahon and Reed has been a major facilitator in keeping Reed in Baton Rouge for four years.
“I love how Matt has really invested in me all four years and trusted me and welcomed me back every year,” said Reed. “I just feel I am a loyal person, and it’s rare to see nowadays.
Marquel Sutton enters from Omaha, where he led the Mavericks to the Summit League Championship as he was the Summit League Player of the Year in averaging 18.9 ppg. Former UNLV point guard Dedan Thomas, Jr., was a playmaker and scorer (15.6 ppg) for the Runnin’ Rebs with a strong court awareness that allows him to pass or find the dribble- drive or quality shot selection.
“It’s the construction of the offensive system, how we use our point guards with DJ (Dedan Thomas, Jr.) and Jalen Reece, who is going to be an outstanding freshman point guard for us. The three-point shooting at the wing position. Then the front court — the size and physicality there.”
Israeli guard Ron Zipper played internationally and shot 36.4 percent from three, and Max Mackinnon comes from Portland, where he shot 41 percent from behind the arc and led four Pilots in double figures.
“He (Coach McMahon) said he sees me as somebody that can guard one through five, do whatever I can do for the team to win,” Sutton said. “Whatever it takes. Rebounding, defending, just do whatever it takes.”
The Team Build: McMahon has consistently built a dynamic 10-man rotation, which will allow the Tigers to explore different methods of attack on offense and defense.
McMahon likes Thomas’s ability to operate on the point where he shot 44 percent from three with the Runnin’ Rebels a year ago.
“I think he’s a wizard with the ball,” McMahon said. “Cannot only create for his teammates but also shoots it well for three. That’s another area in the portal where we look at catch-and-shoot three-point percentage versus overall three-point percentage.”
UC Davis transfer Pablo Tamba shot 58.7 percent and averaged 11.3 ppg in the paint.
“You’ve got to have size and physicality in this league or you have no chance,” explained McMahon. “I mean, no chance at all. We really wanted to address that, be able to have a power game.
Former Mississippi center/forward Michael Nwoko comes over as a defender and rebounder, averaging 6.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per night in ’24-25.
Defensive Opportunities: McMahon likes the defensive capabilities of Sutton at power forward and Thomas on the perimeter, as he referred to both players as “elite defenders.”
In his fourth season, McMahon looks to move LSU forward said that Sutton can match up at any position on the floor and Thomas’s disruptive abilities on the perimeter will be a weapon.
“If you’re undersized, you have no chance of rebounding at the level that this league requires,” summarized McMahon. “Really excited about how the roster’s constructed, not only versatility on the offensive side, but also defensively and on the glass.”