Report: LSU coach Matt McMahon hires Creighton assistant Jalen Courtney-Williams to staff

LSU has hired Creighton assistant Jalen Courtney-Williams, according to a report from Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. He is a Tigers alum who played in Baton Rouge from 2010-13 before ending his college career at Morehead State.

Courtney-Williams spent the past three seasons on the Blue Jays staff, helping them reach the NCAA Tournament each year. They finished this past season 25-10 and advanced to Sweet Sixteen before losing to Tennessee.

Courtney-Williams brings prior experience in the SEC after beginning his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Mississippi State in 2015-16. He later joined the staff at McNeese State and was promoted to associate head coach of the Cowboys in 2021.

Jalen Courtney-Williams will bring a familiarity with the area after spending four years in Lake Charles and playing his college ball at LSU. He is a former McDonald’s All-American who played high school basketball at Provine High in Jackson, Mississippi.

LSU is coming off of a 17-16 season and lost in the first round of the NIT to North Texas. The Tigers are prepared to enter their under coach Matt McMahon and have failed to make the NCAA Tournament in each of the past two years.

LSU loses its top two scorers from this past season in Jordan Wright and Will Baker, so will have plenty of work to do in order to improve up last year’s results. Additionally, LSU lost Carlos Stewart and Mwani Wilkinson to the transfer portal.

However, the Tigers have also added a couple of players, so there is hope they can turn things around in 2024-25.

LSU lands transfer commitment from UT-Martin guard Jordan Sears

UT-Martin guard Jordan Sears has committed to LSU out of the NCAA transfer portal, he announced on his Instagram account on Thursday afternoon.

Sears is coming off a monster season, scoring 21.6 points per game as a junior for the Skyhawks. He also averaged 4.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

He can absolutely fill up the stat sheet, and LSU will get an elite scorer for coach Matt McMahon to work with.

On top of being a quality all-around scorer, Sears is one of the top 3-point shooters in the country. He hit at a 43.2% clip as a junior in 2023-24. He shot 83.9% from the free-throw stripe.