Matt McMahon
- Ceremony for the seniors on Saturday will be at 7:10. Game starts at 7:30, so make sure you show up earlier than normal if you come.
- Thrilled with his team this past week. Thought they had some good preparation and loved the unselfishness they played with against Vandy. Can't remember another time someone score one point and had such an impact on a game as Hannibal did.
- Thinks this game provides a good test for them against an Arkansas team that has been playing pretty well recently.
- When he recruited Trae to Murray State, they wanted to add a tough, physical, explosive player to their team. Says he's done all of those things and has been able to develop as a PG.
- Calls Tyrell one of the best three point shooters in the country. He took a lot of shots against Vandy, and he felt they were pretty much all high quality looks.
- Corey Chest is having a great redshirt year, he's added a ton of muscle and good size. Daimion Collins is on schedule in his rehab, he will likely take a medical redshirt. Carlos Stewart is still out with a knee injury, doesn't anticipate his return. Jalen Cook is currently suspended from the team for failing to meet standards he has for a player in this program.
- Thinks they've gotten better through those tough losses. They've come together as a team and feels the chemistry is at an all-time high.
- Says this is the first real year of the rebuild. Last year had to field a roster through the transfer portal, but this year they were able to be intentional.
- Says conversations with some of his players about coming back will begin after the season. He'll talk with all his guys who are able to return once their season is over and make his pitch.
- Says they'll evaluate the situation with Cook day-to-day moving forward.
- Hannibal says his teammates and coaches have trusted him to be the primary ball handler and it's allowed him to evolve in his new role.
- Wright thinks he's been doing a great job becoming a true point guard. Says it's no surprise to them, but he's fully embraced slowing his game down and becoming the primary ball handler.
- Hannibal says last year was really tough, but once he heard all the guys they're brining in, it made him excited for this season. Says he never thought about moving on from LSU.
- Wright says in the last couple weeks, they've embraced being the tougher team every game, which has led to their nice run to end the season.
- Both think the team has a ton of confidence going into the home stretch/SEC tournament. They've competed against some of the best teams in the conference and have come out with a win, so they think they're clicking at the right time.
- Hannibal says they don't pay attention to tournament projections and all of that. Says the only thing that matters is the guys in the locker room.
- From being projected to finish 13th or 14th to now, they're proud of what they've done, but they're not satisfied.
- Hannibal says he's always taken pride in rebounding. Says everyone on this team can score, so they need to each do something else to help this team win. Says his mentality comes from home. He played with a lot of older guys when he was young and it was hustle or get off the court.
- Thinks Tyrell Ward is starting to play like himself and has really started to up his game.
- Wright said the decision to transfer here from Vanderbilt was the best decision he ever made. Helping rebuild this program is what he signed up for, and they still have a ways to go, but is happy with the part he's played.
- Dean says coming to LSU was a great opportunity for him. He got to expand his game and play at the highest level of college basketball.
- Baker is grateful to be here. Thinks he's taken advantage of everything this place has to offer him.
- Baker thinks they've matured a lot as a team recently. Their preparation has gotten better and they're starting to figure out how to play better together.
- Dean thinks a lot of the tough losses they've had has brought them closer together as a team.
- Thinks last years team set the foundation for this years team. For Dean, he's super proud of their growth because he grew up down the road from here.
- A big part of coaches message when recruiting them was that they could be a part of rebuilding this program a be a big reason why people respect LSU basketball again.
- Both say they've never seen someone who's 6'2 like Hannibal that can get eight+ rebounds per night. Call him a wrecking ball.
- Think Tyrell has been more aggressive recently. He's always ready to pull the trigger on a shot, and he's been taking more of them recently.
- Both think it'll be a very special moment on senior night. Baker wasn't recognized as a senior at Nevada despite graduating from there. Says it took a different path than he thought when he was a freshman at Texas, but he's happy he ended up here.
- For Dean, he's gracious for the experience of playing basketball in college, especially at LSU. He's wanted to play at LSU before he was even a recruit, and getting to come back here has been special for him.
- Their mindset is to be 1-0 every game and let the rest take care of itself.
