When you’re looking at the history of LSU basketball, there’s virtually no middle ground. They’re either good or awful. The only coach who has seemed to coach the Tigers to an average state of play was Johnny Jones who recruited well enough to field good teams but struggled to be competent enough of a coach to win big.
So it would make sense that when Matt McMahon took over a program in shambles thanks to Will Wade’s malfeasance, it would be a tough road up. The smart play was the path he took, inject your program with familiar faces and hope it scales up.