LSU Guard Tyrell Ward Leaving Basketball Team

GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor

The LSU basketball team will be without a key contributor from last season in junior guard Tyrell Ward.

“Tyrell and I have decided that he will be stepping away from the program to focus on his mental health,” LSU coach Matt McMahon said in a statement shortly before the Tigers tipped off the season against Louisiana-Monroe Wednesday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

Ward (6-foot-6, 195 pounds) is not injured, but did not play in the Tigers’ exhibition opener last week, and McMahon said on Tuesday that he would not be available for LSU’s game Wednesday without any specifics. With an influx of plentiful new talent at guard through the NCAA Transfer Portal and high school recruiting, Ward may be considering a red-shirt season or entering the portal.

“I do not anticipate him returning to competition this season,” McMahon said. “We are very appreciative of his contributions to our program, and will be supporting him every step of the way moving forward.”

Ward finished the 2023-24 season strong with seven double-figure scoring games over the Tigers’ last nine Southeastern Conference games. He finished the season averaging 9.1 points and 2.3 assists in 21.7 minutes a game. Ward led LSU last season in three-point field goal shooting percentage at .413 among players with seven or more attempts and was tied for the lead with 52 threes out of 126.

It was a tip-in by Ward at the buzzer that gave the Tigers a 75-74 upset of No. 17 Kentucky last Feb. 21 in the Assembly Center.

McMahon brought in three senior guards from the portal for this season in Cam Carter of Kansas State, Jordan Sears of Tennessee-Martin and Dji Bailey of Richmond. They all started Wednesday night. He also signed true freshmen guards Curtis Givens III and Vyctorius Miller, who are each expected to play a lot this season as well.

Ward signed in McMahon’s first recruiting class in 2022 as 247Sports.com’s No. 41 prospect in the nation overall and No. 13 small forward out of DeMatha Catholic High in Hyattsville, Maryland. He averaged 3.7 points a game as a freshman before improving dramatically last season.