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Three Former LSU Tigers Basketball Standouts Sign Deals In Australia
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- Three Former LSU Tigers Basketball Standouts Sign Deals In Australia
(Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images)
The LSU Tigers had started to build some momentum in terms of developing professional basketball players under Will Wade, but that was derailed throughout the inconsistent era under Matt McMahon.
While there haven't been many NBA draft picks produced in the last couple of years, there are a couple of ex-Tigers who have found a spot on a team overseas. Just this week, LSU celebrated three different former players signing contracts with separate Australian clubs this offseason alone.
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Brisbane Bullets G Max Mackinnon, Two-Year Deal
Mackinnon is the lone McMahon representative on this list. He had a solid season in Baton Rouge, but was really dealt a tough hand. He was supposed to be the two-guard who complemented the game of DJ Thomas, but Thomas got hurt heading into SEC play, and Mackinnon's plate got much heavier.
The Brisbane native posted 15.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists on 41.8/37.6/87.7 shooting splits for LSU last season. He played with the Bullets at 17 years old back in 2021/2022, before he moved to the US for his college career.
Illawarra Hawks F Darius Days , One-Year Deal
Days was actually one of the final stars of the first Wade era in Baton Rouge. It's something that is unheard of now, but he arrived on campus as a freshman in 2018 and then spent all four years developing under Wade. He was a fun offensive talent who could space the floor and grab rebounds. In college, that's enough to be a star.
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The Florida Native was in the NBA G League for two years after being undrafted, and he played well, but moved overseas in 2024. This will be his third season with the Hawks; they won the NBL Championship in 2025 and he's pretty much doing the same thing as he did in college.
South East Melbourne Phoenix G Skylar Mays , One-Year Deal
Mays has been around basketball for a little bit longer, as he actually got to the Tigers one year before Wade did. The two worked together for three years, though. The guard developed into someone who put up 16.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.8 steals on 49.1/39.4/85.4 shooting splits. That's clearly a talented basketball player, which is why he's been able to keep up a professional career past his college days. He has had stops in the NBA, G League, Mexico, Turkey, Montenegro and now Australia.
