Coming off yet another disappointing season under head coach Matt McMahon, LSU basketball, with the assistance of NIL, is looking to make a change, and it appears that the transfer portal will be where it starts, as the Tigers most recently showed interest in one of the top players in the portal: North Dakota State shooting guard Treysen Eaglestaff.
LSU basketball set to make big transfer portal push through the utilization of NIL in 2025
For many of the top programs in college basketball, the current transfer portal window creates something of a disadvantage. While Alabama, Arkansas, Duke, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, Tennessee, and the rest of the Sweet 16 teams are anxiously preparing for their next tournament matchup, eliminated teams throughout the country have their sights set to the future.
As it would turn out, head coach Matt McMahon and the LSU basketball program are one of those exact teams, and thus far, it appears the Tiger coaching staff is looking to take full advantage.
While it’s undoubtedly encouraging that the team is already reaching out to some of the top players available, it’s not even close to the thing people within the program are most excited about. Earlier this offseason, it was reported that head coach Matt McMahon is set to have some NIL backing unlike anything he’s seen since arriving in Baton Rouge.
What does that mean, you might be asking? It means LSU basketball has money to spend, and if they use it right, it’s not at all crazy to think that the purple and gold basketball program could be in for quite the turnaround during the 2025-26 season.
Matt McMahon and the Tigers among several teams making early push for North Dakota State shooting guard Treysen Eaglestaff
Of course, the most important part of that statement is the fact that they need to utilize it properly. That means going after talented players, as well as players who will fit into the culture in Baton Rouge. While it’s hard to say just how well any given player can, and will, fit into a culture, that is ultimately up to the head coach, and thus far, it appears McMahon has his eyes set on a select few players in the early portions of this transfer portal window.
Among said players is former North Dakota State shooting guard Treysen Eaglestaff, the current No. 18 player nationally, according to 247Sports, as well as No. 5 at his position.
Officially listed as a 6-foot-6, 190-pound guard out of Bismarck, ND, Eaglestaff displayed one of the best all-around games in all of college basketball this past season, and almost certainly has the potential to be an immediate starter for a top-level program.
Recording 18.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game in 2024, the junior shooting guard did it all for the Fighting Hawks. Additionally, when considering he was easily one of the top scoring threats on-roster, it makes his 41.6 percent shooting from the field, and 35.9 percent shooting from beyond the arc all the more impressive.
Ultimately, Baton Rouge, LA, would be an incredibly far way from home, and it feels like a bit of a longshot to eventually get him on campus for the 2025-26 season. Still, the fact that head coach Matt McMahon has the ability to at least pursue a player of Eaglestaff’s caliber is encouraging, and very well could be a sign of things to come for the purple and gold.
Money should no longer be an issue for the Tigers on the men’s basketball front. Now, it’s just a matter of what they’re able to do with it, and we’ll soon find out just what that is.
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