LSU Basketball Loses Point Guard Curtis Givens III To Portal – Was Incoming Competition Too Much?

GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor

The LSU men’s basketball program is down to two scholarship players returning from its roster of 13 on scholarship last season, and it’s not on probation.

It’s the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Only forward Jalen Reed, who will be a junior next season after missing most of 2024-25 with an injury, and forward Robert Miller III, who will be a sophomore, will be coming back. Point guard Curtis Givens III, who was a freshman last season, entered the portal on Tuesday just before the deadline passed.

Six other players with eligibility remaining entered the portal after the Tigers’ 14-18 season in 2024-25 that included a second-to-last place finish in the 16-team Southeastern Conference at 3-15. It was LSU’s second losing campaign in three seasons of coach Matt McMahon.

Those six were freshman guard Vyctorius Miller, sophomore guard Mike Williams III, junior guard Tyrell Ward, junior forward Daimion Collins, junior forward Noah Boyd and redshirt freshman forward Corey Chest. Seniors on last year’s team on scholarship were guards Cam Carter, Jordan Sears and Dji Bailey and forward Derek Fountain.

McMahon has five incoming players from the portal, and that class is now down to No. 9 in the nation after previously being ranked No. 4 and No. 2 by 247sports.com. The class includes No. 18 overall portal player and No. 6 point guard in Dedan Thomas Jr. of UNLV. He will be a junior next season and was likely to keep Givens as a backup point guard.

Givens averaged only 4.8 points and 1.5 assists in 32 games last season with 12 starts. Thomas averaged 15.6 points and 4.7 assists last season at UNLV and 13.6 points and 5.1 assists the previous season.

LSU’s other portal players are No. 14 power forward Marquel Sutton of Omaha, No. 23 shooting guard Rashad King of Northeastern, No. 17 center Michael Nwoko of Mississippi State and No. 91 shooting guard Max MacKinnon of Portland.

The deadline to enter the portal has passed, but players who have not landed at new schools still can do that. The Tigers are still in the hunt for Howard 6-foot-8 freshman guard/forward Blake Harper, who averaged 19.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists last season.

MATT MCMAHON ON THE TRANSFER PORTAL

McMahon told Tiger Rag he has been looking for a 3-point shooter, and Harper hit 40 percent of those last season (40 of 99). Harper said this week that his final choices are LSU, Ohio State and Creighton, unless he remains at Howard.

If McMahon signs no more portal players, he will enter the 2025-26 season with 10 on scholarship – five from the portal, two returnees and three from his No. 18 high school signing class. Those three signees are No. 10 point guard Jalen Reece (6-0, 175), who could’ve also extracted from Givens’ playing time, No. 12 shooting guard Mazi Mosley (6-5, 165) and No. 12 center Matt Gilhool (6-10, 205).