Unsurprisingly to just about anyone, Matt McMahon and his LSU basketball squad are set to go through quite the transition period over these next few months. Not only does the Tiger head coach have some boosted NIL backing heading into the 2025-26 season, but the purple and gold are also expected to lose quite a few familiar faces to the transfer portal, as guards Mike Williams III and Tyrell Ward, as well as forward Corey Chest have already gotten the ball rolling in that department.
LSU basketball faces three transfer portal losses in early portions of the cycle
So. G Tyrell Ward
It wasn’t long ago that Tyrell Ward was being viewed as one of the top scoring threats for an LSU basketball team that was in desperate need of a spark.
During his sophomore season in 2023-24, the former four-star recruit out of Hyattsville, MD, put together a respectable stat line of 9.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game, all of which were career bests at the time. Additionally, having shot the ball at a 41.3 percent clip from beyond the arc, Ward was quickly developing a name for himself as one of the top shooters in the SEC.
Ahead of the 2024-25 season, however, the rising junior made the decision to step away from the program for personal reasons, and has since announced his plan to enter the transfer portal as we look ahead to next year.
RS Fr. F Corey Chest
Speaking of rising stars, very few players on the 2024-25 version of the purple and gold fit that description better than redshirt freshman forward Corey Chest.
Listed as a 6-foot-8, 220-pound power forward out of New Orleans, LA, the in-state product quickly emerged as one of the most athletic players on the entire LSU basketball roster. Unfortunately, that athletic potential never quite panned out for head coach Matt McMahon and his squad.
Coming off a season in which he averaged 6.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game, Chest will now look to the transfer portal, as he’s already reportedly received interest from several major basketball programs, including Alabama, Auburn, Texas A&M and USC.
So. G Mike Williams III
Yet another budding star for Matt McMahon, turned transfer portal loss is Mike Williams III, who showed starting level potential from the moment he stepped foot on campus at LSU.
Unfortunately, officially looking ahead to his junior year in 2025, that potential never quite seemed to grow, as the 6-foot-3, 180-pound guard out of Baltimore, MD, failed to log a single start for the Tigers in 2024-25.
Instead, the sophomore would end up seeing just 11.2 minutes per game, logging 4.0 points, 0.7 assists, 1.3 rebounds and 0.5 steals in those opportunities.
Despite the lack of consistency with the purple and gold, Williams III has shown more than enough potential to make an impact at the college level, and should be expected to receive plenty of interest this portal season.
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