So much for the notion that nobody would want the LSU basketball job with the current uncertainty surrounding the program.

Instead, LSU Athletic Director/Head Hunter Scott Woodward has added to his big-hire trophy room by landing Murray State’s Matt McMahon to take over the embattled program, which likely faces NCAA sanctions that led to the firing of Will Wade and could hamper the program for several seasons.

That was expected to scare off most of the top names in what is already shaping up as a busy off season on the hoops coaching carousel.

But in McMahon LSU will be getting a 43-year old coach who is considered one of the rising stars in college basketball, one who would likely have had other options when the coaching merry-go-round hits full stride.

He had a reputation as excellent recruiter even from his mid-major spot at Murray State, where he also developed three Missouri Valley Players in the last five seasons.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me, and I cannot wait to get to work,” McMahon said in a release by the LSU athletic department. “I look forward to building relationships with our current players and recruiting elite student-athletes to LSU, and I’m excited to join the best athletic department – and the most iconic brand – in all of college sports.”

McMahon arrived in Baton Rouge late Monday and was to attend the LSU women’s NCAA tournament game against Ohio State. The school will formally introduce him at a press conference Tuesday.

“Matt is exactly what we were looking for,” said Woodward. “His vision for our program and his values as a leader align perfectly with ours as an institution, and he has a proven track record of identifying talent, developing student-athletes, and building championship basketball programs.”

In welcoming the McMahons to LSU — which includes wife Mary and three children — Woodward added, “We are ready to work together to write the next championship chapter for LSU Basketball.”

It could be a challenge as it will be surprising if the program does not face major sanctions left behind by Wade. The NCAA’s Notice of Allegations just before the start of the SEC tournament led to his firing.

It is expected to take months before LSU gets any official word on sanctions, but most predict it will include multiple years of a postseason ban and probable reduction in scholarships.

McMahon is 154-67 in seven seasons at Murray State of the Ohio Valley Conference and just completed his third NCAA tournament appearance in the last five years.

The Racers lost Saturday to this year’s Cinderella, St. Peter’s, which two nights earlier had shocked March Madness with an upset of No. 2 seed Kentucky. Murray State, seeded No. 7 in its regional, advanced to the round of 32 with an overtime win over San Francisco.

McMahon’s NCAA tournament record is 2-3.

His team finished this season 31-3 and 18-0 in winning the OVC regular season and tournament titles. This year’s Racers were the first OVC team to go undefeated in the regular season.

The Murray State job was the first head coaching job for the former guard at Appalachian State, who began his career at his alma mater as an assistant and also coached at UNC-Wilmington.

It will be Woodward’s fourth big hire in less than a year. Jay Johnson left a College World Series Arizona program to solve Paul Mainieri’s retirement in baseball. Hall of Fame women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey was lured in from Baylor to replace Nikki Fargas and Brian Kelly left Notre Dame after the firing of Ed Orgeron in football.