BATON ROUGE – LSU transfer guard Max Mackinnon earned both first team honors and was named the state’s Newcomer of the Year it was announced on Tuesday by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.
Mackinnon transferred from Portland and the native of Australia played his final college season in 2025-26 for the Tigers.
Mackinnon had a strong season in his one year in Louisiana, which made him eligible for newcomer of the year, playing 31 games with 30 starts. He averaged a team best 15.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.48 assists and averaged 17.0 points in league play with 2.71 assists. In the final five games of the season, he averaged 20.4 points.
Mackinnon had 24 games in double figures with 10 games of 20 or more (eight against SEC teams). He scored a season high (second highest of career) in double overtime win at Ole Miss (2/25) with 34 points on 11-of-24 shooting with four treys and 8-of-10 free throws. He scored 28, making 11 field goals for the third time this season, in the SEC Tournament game with Kentucky (3/11).
Mackinnon made 67 three-pointers (67-of-178, 37.6 percent) topped by six against both Omaha (11/21) and SMU (12/13). Mackinnon, who was invited to play in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament had eight assists in win at South Carolina (1/31) and seven assists against Texas A&M (3/7) … Highest scoring average of college career (15.7) in 2025-26
He made 93-of-106 free throws (87.7 percent), sixth highest for a single season at LSU, minimum 75 attempts).
2025-26 LSWA All-Louisiana Men’s Basketball Teams
Player of the Year: Larry Johnson, McNeese
Freshman of the Year: Larry Johnson, McNeese
Newcomer of the Year: Max Mackinnon, LSU
Coach of the Year: Bill Armstrong, McNeese
First Team
Larry Johnson, McNeese
Rowan Brumbaugh, Tulane
Max Mackinnon, LSU
Tyshawn Archie, McNeese
Coleton Benson, New Orleans
Second Team
DJ Dudley, Louisiana Tech
Kameron Johnson, Loyola
Hayden Brittingham, LSU Shreveport
Garwey Dual, McNeese
Zachary Lee, Loyola