LSU Basketball

In a move that has hoops fans across the nation scratching their heads, LSU has hired Trent Johnson as its next head coach. 

Johnson just completed his most successful season at Stanford, where he led his team to the Sweet 16.    

Check that.

It’s hard to lead your team anywhere when you are watching over 28 minutes of the game from the locker room. 

Surely you remember the scene: With his team down by one to Marquette, in the second round of the tournament, Johnson was hit with his second technical and sent to the showers with over three minutes left in the first half.

His team was clearly rocked a bit, as the one-point deficit quickly grew to 11.   

Johnson wound up missing one of the best games of March Madness, as Brook Lopez hit a short jumper with 1.3 seconds left to complete an exciting one-point overtime win over Tom Crean's former team.

Trent Johnson is stiffing his team for the second time in two weeks, bolting for the SEC conveniently on the heels of the Lopez brothers’ intentions to declare for the NBA draft.

But the bigger question seems to be: Why in the world is LSU hiring this man? 

Johnson is West Coast through and through.    

Born in California, Johnson played his college ball at Boise State from 1974-1978. After coaching in Boise’s high school ranks for five years, Johnson then served as an assistant at Utah, Washington, and Stanford.    

The closest he has gotten to the East Coast was a brief stint as assistant coach at Rice. 

Most recently, Johnson served as head coach at Nevada for five years and four years at Stanford. 

He is 51-years old. 

While there seems to be several red flags around this hiring, two pop out immediately.

The first is Johnson’s age. I have no problem with a team hiring a 51-year old as its head coach. But that 51-year old better be a slam dunk, and Johnson simply isn’t. 

In his nine seasons as head coach, he has been to the tournament only four times. He has one conference championship (at Nevada). Johnson's overall record is 159-122.    

Secondly, the geography factor. A West Coast guy since birth, Johnson simply has no experience with SEC basketball, or the region itself, for that matter.    

Recruiting is recruiting, but clearly other coaches will use Johnson’s unfamiliarity with Southern basketball against him. 

It seems that LSU jumped the gun on this one, as there are still several qualified coaches out there. While Travis Ford and Oliver Purnell both turned down LSU’s overtures, the big mystery remains to be Anthony Grant, who has plenty of SEC experience. It is still not certain at this time whether Grant was not interested in the LSU job or vice versa.    

Trent Johnson is a great guy and all of that nonsense, but he is not the answer for LSU. 

The talent in the state of Louisiana will be enough for Johnson’s teams to be competitive, but don’t expect any conference or national championships from LSU anytime soon.

Speights, Randolph declare for Draft, will not hire agents 

Floridasophomore forward Marreese Speights and LSU freshman forward Anthony Randolph are both looking to test their luck in the NBA lottery.

Neither one has hired and agent, make a return for their respective next season possible. 

Speights averaged 14.5 points per game for the Gators this season, good enough for second on a team who made it to New York this season for the NIT Semi-finals.  To go with his 14 points, Speights had 8.1 rebounds a game and 49 blocks on the season, averaging just under 25 minutes a game. 

In an average of 32 minutes of play, Randolphaveraged 15.6 ppg, 8.5 rpg, and 70 blocks on the season.  Randolph was a leader for a LSU team in turmoil for most of the season, leading the team in rebounding and being second in points per game. 

Hansbrough looking to transfer from Mississippi State, no school named as favorite 

Mississippi State sophomore guard Ben Hansbrough has made it known that he will transfer out of Starkville. 

Hansbrough, the Bulldogs leader in free throw percentage and three point percentage, has not named his possible new location nor given a hint as to where he may go. 

MSU head coach Rick Stansbury cited that Hansbrough was leaving because he feels that he can’t “be the best basketball player” he possibly can at State and a lack of suitable practice facilities.

“As simple as that may sound, that’s a huge thing for me,” Hansbrough said in reference to the practice facilities.  “That has a lot to do with it right there.”

“Ben is a good kid and we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours,” Stansbury said in a statement.

 Alabama faces potential problems amid transfers, draft declarations 

The off-season has already been a tumultuous one for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Two of the team’s potential stars for next season, forward Richard Hendrix and guard Ronald Steele, have both declared for the NBA draft, but neither have hired an agent. 

Steele will return as long as he is not ensured of a first-round pick.  He missed this whole season recovering from off-season knee surgery.

Hendrix, a member of the 1^st team All-SEC team, was the only player in the SEC this season to average a double-double. 

Not only does the Tide face these potential departures, two guards have also voiced the desire to transfer.

Freshman Rico Pickett and sophomore Justin Tubbs have both said they will not return to the team next season.

Pickett was suspended indefinitely for the second time in his short tenure at Alabama on Sunday night.  The very next day, his father had said that he would transfer.

“Nothing possibly that (head) Coach (Mark) Gottfried can talk about can make me come back,” Pickett told the Decatur Daily, his hometown newspaper.

Tubbs, who was mysteriously benched this season, has informed the coaching staff that he will be changing schools for next season.

Rumor has it that Gottfried decided in the middle of the season to try and run off either Tubbs or Pickett to save a scholarship next season for Ron Steele.  Now, Gottfried may be without all three of them.

Counting those four players, as well as the three graduating seniors, the Tide may lose half of their team from last season.  If this holds true, Alabama would lose 41.3 points of the 75.3 they averaged last season.

The Tide’s incoming recruiting class is #11 according to rivals.com right now, with three players in the top 50 nationally coming to the Capstone next season. 

The Tigers must win it all to keep the 2008 season going.  LSU will play the first game of the SEC Tournament on Thursday against South Carolina, a team the Tigers beat by seven points in Columbia only 13 days ago.

LSU earned a four seed, in the Western Division of the SEC, by winning four of their last five games. 

The season started off promising whil playing against inferior opponents, but took a turn for the worse at the Maui Invitational, where the Tigers lost two of three. Their lone win coming against the hosting team (Division II) Chaminade Silverswords.  The Tigers blew big leads in both games against Oklahoma State and Arizona State.  The Tigers tied the Sundevils with a three at the buzzer, but lost in overtime 87-84.  

The Tigers blew a 21-point lead to Villanova three games later, but the Tigers would hit rock bottom after losing to in-state rival, Tulane for the first time in more than 25 years.  That game would be part of an eight game losing streak for the Tigers, ultimately leading to the firing of Head Coach John Brady mid-way through his 12^th season.

Assistant Head Coach Butch Pierre took over for the Tigers after losing seven of their last 13 games.  With the help of freshman sensation Anthony Randolph, the Tigers were able to win five of their remaining nine conference games. Three of those four losses were by less than 10 points, including a heartbreaking two point loss against Tennessee in Pierre’s head coaching debut.

The Tigers go into Thursday’s contest lead by three coaches all-SEC team players.  Marcus Thorton leads the Tigers in scoring with 19.7 points per game (second in the SEC); Freshman Anthony Randolph averages 15.4 points per game for the Tigers; along with 8.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per contest and one of the league’s best defensive players in Garrett Temple.

The Tigers held the Gamecock’s leading scorer Devan Downey to a season low six points in their previous meeting.  Zam Fredrick led South Carolina with 21 points, but the Tigers out rebounded the Gamecocks 44-28.  The Gamecocks must see a bigger outing from Downey if they hope to extend their season past Thursday. 

The Tigers should be able to control the tempo of the game if they can be as effective on defense as they were in their previous matchup.  Look for the Tigers to earn the right to take on No.1 seeded Tennessee winning another close one.  Tigers by six.

Because LSU has struggled so much this year, the casual college hoops fan might not be familiar with Anthony Randolph. 

SEC opponents are not as lucky, as Randolph has been torturing many of them in conference play.

Through 25 games, Randolph is averaging 14.6 points per game, 2.4 blocks per game, and a very impressive 8.6 rebounds per game. 

Against Kentucky’s sensational freshman big man, Patrick Patterson, Randolph went off for 24 points and 14 rebounds in a close loss.

Before arriving at LSU, Randolph graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas. The soft-spoken Randolph chose the Tigers over powerhouses such as Kansas and Georgetown, and obviously many other schools.

Since the first day he showed up in Baton Rouge, the freshman has been impressing fans, coaches, and players alike with his huge wingspan, his ability to play in and out, and his work ethic.  He showcased all of those talents in the first game of his collegiate career, posting 19 points, 13 rebounds, 6 blocks, and 4 steals.  

But while his height, 6-foot-10, and his ability to put the ball on the floor, has made it hard for teams to match up with him, his rail-thin body of only 190 pounds has been somewhat of a liability on the defensive end. Randolph can certainly get up to block shots, but he simply doesn’t have the muscle to bang down low with the legit SEC post players.

The lefty big man has been known to slam monstrous follow-up dunks, run the floor with tremendous open-court speed, and hit the mid-range jumper.

While the pick and pop (which appears to be a favorite of Randolph’s) allows him to show off his jump shot, Randolph’s 3-point shooting has struggled in college, but that surely will improve with each year he stays in school.

Finally, Randolph has a quick first step, can go either way with the ball, faces the basket well, and, despite his lack of bulk, has some decent low-post moves. He shares a lot of tendencies to Chris Bosh’s game. If he can add some weight, who knows how good this kid could be.

Along with Patterson, A.J. Ogilvy, and Nick Calathes, Randolph is making a case for SEC Freshman of the Year honors. While the league is having a down year overall, these four players, and many other excellent young talents, seem to indicate that the SEC is on the upswing.

Along those same lines, while it’s still undetermined who will be LSU’s coach next year, whoever is lucky enough to get the job will be inheriting quite a young batch of athletes—led, of course, by Anthony Randolph.

I'm driving up I-540 to Fayetteville. I just tried to spit a bitter hocker out the window and the cold rushing wind blew it back on my jacket. My body aches with residual flu. The February Arkansas air has a bite and the world has that hazy blue look it gets before we have a winter storm.

Skeleton trees cover the rolling Ozark hills and the occasional black smoke plume rises from prehistoric shacks that dot the valleys and mesas. Rusting Ford Escorts and partially disassembled Pacers ornament the distant yards. Cars seem to have abnormally bright and streaky paint jobs as they zoom past me.

Tom Waits is on my stereo growling about a "Downtown Train". The SUV in front of me is flying a Razorback flag and has a license plate that says "TRIPPIN". It is a college basketball game day. Maybe I shouldn't have had that second bottle of Nyquil.

LSU is in town and it's a must-win game, but aren't they all when you seem to be a team that has spent the last three years on the proverbial "bubble"?

They fired the annoying John Brady who always looked like he had a chaw in his cheek and a painful prostate infection. We will miss him as a villain and we will miss his smokin' hot wife as an object of juvenile leers and the occasional drool.

His replacement is long time assistant Butch Pierre who has, along with a FANTASTIC Louisiana name, a truly weird hairline that calls to mind the actor Bill Duke (who hunted the "Predator" along with Arnold Schwarzenegger). Butch frightens me just a tad and in my current state he looks a bit like he belongs in a comic book with a black mask and maybe a lightning bolt across his chest worrying about a girlfriend named Tanya Tiger.

As I make my way from the parking lot to the stadium I pause to watch thick bottomed women play lacrosse in the cold. Geez I miss college.

Bud Walton Arena is about three quarters full for the game. People are shedding coats and their heads seem to bob just a little. The players are finishing warm-ups and their uniforms and the basketballs seem to be leaving tracers behind them, like shadow images that my brain can't process at the proper speed. Jump shots leave a visible arc so I can study their path.

The Hogs are going to win this one going away. I can feel it.

Michael Sanchez is launching dubious threes and grinning broadly. Vincent Hunter laughs and hugs him as he WHOOPS a cheer for Steven Hill's senior video. Sonny Weems and Ervin are tossing up half court shots. The whole team seems strangely happy and loose. Yup, this one's gonna be a blowout.

Coach Pelphrey's comb-forward is looking just a bit strained tonight. There are whispers in my area that our fearless leader will soon have a major decision to make regarding his "look".

The game is slow and lacks rhythm for the first six minutes. Randolph and Johnson are fantastic looking players for LSU but they are both painfully thin and weak. The Tiger's guards are competent but just don't bring anything to the table. Amazingly John Brady never understood the importance of solid guards in the college game.

Gary Ervin got the start tonight for the first time since very early in the year. He is hustling and playing tough defense. Steven Hill is altering almost every shot in the paint.

The air in the arena seems dark and miasmic to my senses. Diseased respiratory droplets hang in the ether as the sluggish crowd coughs and sputters with the team. A dark haired goddess in a belted sweater/skirt with black stockings and a red scarf makes her way down the bleachers and belatedly finds her seat not far from me. She crosses her legs and I can't take my eyes off her shiny black ankle boots. My medication soaked brain wants to snuggle with what I imagine are her brightly painted toes. She digs in her GIANT purse for her phone and immediately starts texting.

There is a deadness to the crowd tonight and it seems at first that this will carry over to the players. The score is tied at 14 with six-plus minutes gone when the Hogs explode. Beverly hits a layup after a fantastic steal, Welsh hits, Weems continues his stellar play, Vincent Hunter buries a couple from deep, Welsh hits another, and even Gary Ervin gets in on the act with a three.

There are a couple of things going on here. The Hogs are just hot and the LSU defense is atrocious. These shots are uncontested. Arkansas's defense is good but LSU's ball handling is god awful and their shot selection isn't much better. After four minutes and a 21-0 run the Hogs lead 35-14 and the ballgame is over.

The rest of the half (and game) are passed mostly with watching the blond girls in paint and sports bras try to discover an elusive rhythm, seeing if anyone will dare talk to a grumpy looking Ken Hatfield, trying to figure out what happened to my favorite stat girl's complexion, and wondering why the quite good pom pom squad decided to do their halftime dance in those high waisted dresses that Lauren from "The Hills" wears.

As time leaks away and the crowd staggers home after an 87-61 Hog win, the Razorback mascot is suddenly at my side and I think I might SCREAM and soil myself in fear and confusion. He is talking to the people next to me in a very human voice and I am more than a little disconcerted.

I decide to scurry away before more weird stuff starts to happen. Besides, I need some more Nyquil.

A few hours ago, I watched the LSU men's basketball team play against a far superior Kentucky team.

If they hadn't made a couple boneheaded mistakes at the end of the game I may have even watched the LSU men's basketball team WIN against a far superior Kentucky team.

Last week, the Tigers beat Florida and hung tough with the third-ranked Tennessee Volunteers.

Not bad for a team with a 2-8 conference record.

So what's the deal? Why have the Basketball Bengals suddenly started playing like they've seen a basketball before?

Well, John Brady was fired—and apparently the team likes his replacement a hell of a lot more than they liked him, because they have played their tails off ever since his departure.

All of this makes Brady look like a bad coach, but really he isn't. When he took over the job in the 90s, a 2-8 conference record was to be expected. Now, after his era, we all expect to be competing for a fourth or fifth seed in that Tournament in March.

Brady built up a program from nothing, and produced fout players that have gotten or are currently getting significant playing time in the "Association" (at least that I can think of, right off hand): Tyrus Thomas (Bulls), Brandon Bass (Mavs), Stromile Swift (Grizzlies), and Glen Davis (Celtics). At the very least, the guy isn't a "bad" coach. 

But what has had me worried for a while now was the amount of players that wanted to tranfer away from LSU. You could say that academics played its role for a few of the guys, but not all of them. I believe Ross Neltner, former Mr. Basketball of one of those Midwestern basketball-crazy states, transferred away to Vanderbilt after his freshman season. Clearly he wasn't having trouble with the intricacies of college algebra if his second choice was VANDERBILT.

The answer kind of becomes clear now, doesn't it? Its not that ole Johnny boy doesn't know the game, or doesn't recognize talent when he sees it. It's not even that he doesn't have the ability to develop that talent into next-level quality.

No, the problem is more likely something to the affect that he doesn't know how to "rally the troops" as they say. He ain't a "players coach" and he ain't even a Nick Saban type of guy who can strike fear, and respect, into his players. 

 I'm glad Brady was the Tigers coach for the time that he was, but honestly—I think LSU's future just got a heck of a lot brighter now that he left.

After a disheartening loss to Tennessee on Tuesday, the Alabama Crimson Tide took the court again Saturday against the LSU Tigers to end their four-game home stand. 

The Tide used a great defensive effort and stole the ball 12 times to give themselves a halftime lead and then held on in the second half for the victory.

Alabama had a comfortable lead for most of the half before landing on the final margin of nine.

The Tide used a great performance from Richard Hendrix once again to stay in the game. 

Hendrix got his usual 19 points, but was a beast on the boards. He pulled down 17 rebounds, well above his season average of 10.

Alabama got the support it has been lacking in most conference games from Alonzo Gee and Mykal Riley. Gee dropped 15 points for the Tide, and Riley managed to find his stroke and got 19 points, 16 of them in the first half.

The Bayou Bengals were led by Marcus Thronton, who scored a game high 22 points.  Freshman Anthony Randolph was the lone Tiger to post a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. 

Alabama held the Tigers to just 36 percent shooting from the field, one of the best defensive outings for the Tide this season. 

Alabama shot 48 percent from the field and 43 percent from downtown to counteract the season long slump from the free throw line.  Alabama shot 67 percent from the charity stripe compared to LSU’s amazing 96 percent, only missing one all game.

Alabama will now travel to Starkville on Wednesday to play Mississippi State for the second time this season.  The Tide will look to avenge a 66-56 loss suffered just two weeks ago. 

LSU will look to get back on track after a week off by hosting the Tennessee Volunteers next Saturday at home.