Matt McMahon Season 2025-26

Updated on August 14, 2025

LSU Men’s Basketball Head Coach Matt McMahon has built his program around five core values that define his approach both on and off the court: hard work, unselfishness, toughness, accountability and joy.

Those values were among the first principles he shared when introduced as the 25th head coach in program history on March 22, 2022, and they continue to guide every aspect of LSU Basketball today.

Now entering his fourth season at the helm, Coach McMahon leads a Tigers team energized by a strong recruiting class that blends proven transfers with talented freshmen. The 2025-26 squad is poised to build on the foundation laid in recent years, with an emphasis on chemistry, relentless effort, and steady progress.

Despite facing injuries and other challenges last season, the Tigers continued to demonstrate resilience, competing with intensity in the classroom, film room, and on the floor. Under Coach McMahon’s leadership, the foundation for a stable, sustainable program continues to be built. This current group thrives on its chemistry, playing for each other with toughness, accountability, and an unselfish spirit. Their joy for the game is evident every time they take the floor, uniting players, coaches, and fans alike.

Guided by those five core principles, the Tigers have continued to strengthen the program’s foundation, setting the stage for growth in 2025-26. With added talent and depth at all positions, this year’s roster is built to take the next step forward.

Player development remains a cornerstone in the Matt McMahon LSU basketball program. This summer, returnees and newcomers alike have embraced individual skill work and strength training in LSU’s dedicated basketball facility. Standouts include Robert Miller III and Jalen Reed.

Robert Miller III enters his sophomore season ready to build on flashes of promise from his freshman year. Over the summer, Miller has committed himself to individual skill development and strength training to add both power and polish his game. His growth on both ends of the floor has been evident throughout offseason workouts.

Jalen Reed returns for his redshirt junior season after an early December ACL injury cut short what had been a breakout year. Known for his drive and work ethic, Reed attacked his rehab this summer showing steady progress toward a full return. Before his injury, Reed had already made significant strides from his freshman season. His determination to elevate his game and help his team positions him as a veteran leader ready to make an impact.

The summer has given new players valuable time to work closely with the coaching staff and strength and conditioning coach Mike Chatman, focusing on improving their skills and physical readiness for the long season ahead. It’s a proven approach that Coach McMahon has implemented throughout his career, making this offseason a critical step in preparing the 2025-26 team for success.

The program has already shown it can take measurable steps forward under Matt McMahon’s leadership. In 2024, LSU advanced to postseason play after back-to-back wins over No. 11 South Carolina, 64-63, in Columbia and then a 75-74 win over No. 17 Kentucky in Baton Rouge.

Last season, LSU showed what it was capable of, beating Florida State in its SEC/ACC Challenge game, winning a triple-overtime win at the Greenbrier over UCF, a road victory at Kansas State, and an amazing rally in the final minute to win at Oklahoma.

McMahon’s track record of building winning cultures was firmly established during his seven seasons at Murray State. Coach McMahon led the Racers to a record of 154-67 (.697) including: 93 OVC regular season wins, winning 75 percent of league games.

During his tenure, he has also coached multiple all-Americans and all-conference players. The most notable of whom was Ja Morant, who went on to become the 2020 NBA Rookie of the Year.

Under McMahon the Racers won regular season league titles in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2018, 2019 and 2022.

Since the native of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, became the third-youngest rookie among D1 coaches in 2015, McMahon has continued a steady move forward with a reputation for developing talent both as an assistant and head coach. He has become known nationally as an excellent recruiter and he is among the best in the nation in the area of player development and game planning.

In his final season at Murray State in 2021-22, McMahon coached OVC Player of the Year KJ Williams and two other recipients of first-team honors (Tevin Brown, Justice Hill). In addition, McMahon was named the league’s Coach of the Year.

Williams and his successful play translated to the Southeastern Conference where he earned All-SEC honors in a super senior year when he became at the time in January 2023. He also earned more than 100 career wins in his five years of play. Through it all he continued to improve under the tutelage of Coach McMahon through his days at Murray and LSU.

McMahon’s Racers, in 2021-22, were just the sixth team in league history to go undefeated and the first to do it in an 18-game conference schedule. Murray State then won the two league tournament games to advance to the NCAA Tournament where, as a No. 7 seed, the Racers defeated San Francisco to advance to the round of 32.

The 2021-22 team was one of seven teams to win 30 or more games that season and led the nation in win percentage at 91.2 percent (31-3). The Racers were ranked No. 20 in the final AP poll and No. 22 in the Coaches Poll.

McMahon was the first MSU coach to have three seasons of 25 or more wins and was one of just three Murray State coaches to have four 20-win seasons.

Coach McMahon led the Racers to three-straight OVC regular season championships (2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20) and two consecutive OVC Tournament titles (2017-18, 2018-19).

Coach McMahon’s commitment to defense showed in those years as the Racers ranked as the league leader twice in defensive field goal percentage and each of the three seasons the team led the league in defending the 3-point shot.

The 2018-19 team won 28 games and made its mark in the NCAA Tournament when the 12th-seeded Racers won their fourth all-time tourney game by defeating No. 5 seed Marquette. That season is when Morant stepped to the forefront at Murray State.

He was named the OVC POY, leading Division I in assists and earning first-team all-America honors from the USBWA. In the NCAA Tournament win over Marquette, Morant posted a triple double of 17 points, 11 rebounds and 16 assists as he became the eighth player to record a triple double in the tournament.

He was drafted second overall in the 2019 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies.

In 2017-18, McMahon’s team won 26 games and the OVC regular season and tournament championship, sending the Racers to what was at that time the school’s 16th NCAA Tournament.

Prior to being named head coach, he was a key part of Coach Steve Prohm’s staff as assistant at Murray State as the Racers won a pair of Ohio Valley Conference championships, a CollegeInsider.com Tournament championship and an appearance in the NIT. He was part of a staff that won 104 games from 2011-15.

During his time as assistant coach, McMahon was named to the list of best assistant coaches by FoxSports.com and CollegeInsider.com.

McMahon coached Lute Olson Player of the Year and AP Honorable Mention All-American Cameron Payne who ranked 13th in the nation in scoring with an average of 20.2 points per game and 6.0 assists. Payne was the 14th pick of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

In his first season as an assistant at Murray State, the team was 31-2 and earned a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Racers won a game in the NCAAs and were the final undefeated team in the nation that year with 23 consecutive wins to start the season.

PRIOR TO MURRAY STATE
Coach McMahon has had success in college basketball since his days as a player at Appalachian State.

Known as an excellent shooter and tough competitor, he played on three Southern Conference regular season title teams in 1998, 1999 and 2000. He earned All-Tournament honors in 1999. The Mountaineers won the SoCon Tournament in 2000 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

He played in 117 career games under coach Buzz Peterson and made 135 three-pointers, graduating in 2000 with a bachelor’s in marketing.

His coaching career began immediately at Appalachian State as assistant under Houston Fancher in 2000-01. He would rejoin Peterson’s staff as a graduate assistant coach at Tennessee before returning to ASU in 2002 as assistant and later associate head coach, where he stayed until the end of the 2009-10 season. A year at UNC Wilmington (2010-11) as assistant coach set the stage for his journey to Murray State, starting first as an assistant in the 2011-12 season and then as head coach prior to the 2015-16 season.

Like his time at Murray State, McMahon coached some outstanding talent in the early stages of his coaching career, including Southern Conference POY Donald Sims as well as all-league picks Jeremy Clayton and D.J. Thompson.

Coach McMahon and his wife Mary, a former standout for the Furman women’s basketball team, have three children – Maris, Mason and Mabry.

The McMahon File

Season at LSU: Fourth (in 2025-26)
Birthdate: April 26, 1978
Wife: Mary
Children: Maris, Mason, Mabry
Hometown: Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Education: Appalachian State, 2000

College Coaching Experience
2000-01 – Assistant Coach, Appalachian State
2001 – Graduate Assistant, Tennessee
2002-10 – Assistant/Associate Head Coach, Appalachian State
2010-11 – Assistant Coach, UNC Wilmington
2011-15 – Assistant Coach, Murray State
2015-22 – Head Coach, Murray State
March 22, 2022 – Head Coach, LSU

Matt McMahon’s Head Coaching Record