Hoops Post-Mortem (Part 1 of 2): Season ending Grade

Question, what's an acceptable record for next years team? Or maybe the correct question is what should we expect for next years team? Of course the easy answer is better then 11-21 but i'm curious, if we make the NIT and win a few games will people still be calling for CTJ head or do we need to at least make the big dance? Just wondering what people think!

 

For me competitive in the S.E.C is what I am looking for. If that puts us in the big dance so be it but at the least it should put us in the NIT. I would like our record to be 5-8 games over 500 and no more than 3-4 losses in conference play. Speaking of NIT anybody catch the final 2 teams. Alabama and Wichita ST, we lost to both teams and by only 1 to the champs. Maybe it turns out our schedule was tougher than we originally thought and will help our young players in the future more as well.

 

A point I was going to make as well. Folks may not want to hear this, but sometimes the line between winning and losing is fine. We played Wichita State very tight, tighter than Alabama.

Personally, I'd also like to see a good winning record, something ideally in that 18+ win category. I don't think that we'll need to see a 3-4 loss record in the SEC, in fact I think that will be difficult. I believe the SEC will be older and deeper, and as long we're scheduling a decent non-conference schedule and getting a few wins there, I think a decent winning SEC record, 9-7, 10-6, might still get us there.

Of course, a lot of this is also in the eye of the beholder. I think if LSU is competitive, playing better teams closer, winning close games, I think we will be seeing improvement.

 

I've been called a Trent Johnson apologist but I'm not going to be happy with less than 19-20 wins and a better than .500 SEC record. There has to be some semblance of improvement in this program. I knew this season was going to be tough and it was going to take some time to get his system in place. Next season is when it should start coming together. That said I'm pretty confidant it will happen.

 

Don't know if anyone posted this, happen a few months back but Noel Johnson a guy who had LSU on his radar left Clemson and is transferring to Auburn... I wonder did he have any contact with CTJ before deciding on AU

 

It will depend on the schedule what happens with next postseason. The committee made it clear that we can't have a bad OOC schedule if we want to play in the postseason. We are in the Charleston tournament, but most of the teams along with us aren't very good, excluding VCU. Winning it won't do much so we will need at least 2 good games out of conference if the NCAA tournament is the target.

It's really hard to see what we will get next year. They just looked so bad before that it's the thought of "how could they be better and win games" that creeps into your head. I think the talent level is there, and we will have some good shooters next year. Whoever our PG is will need to be better. If it's Stringer, he will have to stop looking to launch 3's from halfcourt and concentrate on getting it to Derenbecker or Turner.

Alabama and Vanderbilt will be 1 and 2 in the SEC.
Kentucky will be 3. After that everything is pretty much wide open. The rest of the SEC East will be depleted via graduation or the draft. The SEC West wasn't anything special so if TJ can coach the team up it could be a quick jump up to #2, though a more steady rate of ascension is likely with a 3rd or 4th place finish.

 

I think all of your thoughts are wise. Folks are already starting with the looking ahead to next season. Katz on ESPN is already annointing Kentucky as the team to beat in the SEC, even if Knight and Terrance Jones go pro. They do, of course, have a good chance of doing so. Then it's Vandy in the East, and as you note, 'Bama in the West. Interesting to see Florida and GA kind of drop off the radar (again, upper classmen going away or going pro).

It will also be interesting to see where Anderson has his team by mid-year. He has a good class coming in and generally a younger team left to him by Pelphrey. I see LSU competing for that 3 spot. But, if they steal some wins from the East teams, they could have that winning SEC record, which will be what the team needs to strive for. It comes down to what out of conference schools do they schedule and who can they beat there to distinguish themselves.

 

More of the post-hoops season analysis from Lazare at Tigerbait.

Much in line with the point of my threads, Trent's success at some large level comes down to recruiting.... and what those players have done after some time in his system.

TigerBait.com - It comes down to recruiting

Perhaps his outlook's not as rosy, but my point all along has been not just Trent's success on the court, but how compelling of a job off the court has he done--particularly the all critical 2012 class.

You have to ask, is it more important for Trent to win 8 or 9 SEC games this year, or better for him to make sure that Gathers and Felix stay in-state and go to LSU? I'd almost make the claim that Trent'd be safe, even if he went on only say to the NIT, as long as he got LA's best talent coming to Tigertown.

I personally think he'll do better than that, and perhaps Gathers will see this early and commit so LSU can get on to signing some interesting pieces to that 2012 class, like J-Michael Reese or Shaquille Cleare out of Texas, or Robert Upshaw out of WA, to go along with a very talented Gathers.

 

Well as bad as this team needs a pg Trent could'nt land either Talley or Grooms as they will sign with Nebraska and Oklahoma. Big blow for next season unless he can oull a rabbit out of his hat.

 

So, with Tuesday rapidly approaching and the news on our recruiting board reaching some conclusion on Mr. Basketball of Kentucky, Anthony Hickey Jr., prior to his formal announcement at his school. I'm pulling this chart out again.

Objective basketball minds can look at this again and debate. How good of a recruiter, and how consistent, has Trent and staff been?

2011-12 Class: O'Bryant (McD AA)-6'10" PF/C, Isaac (All 2A LA)-6'4" SG/PG, Hickey Jr. (All KY, Mr. KY)-5'11" PG, and Hamilton (TR) 6'11" C.

I guess I'd contend with 2010-2012, it's probably as good as it has been since the BR run that Brady/Butch had with the homegrown run of Bass, Davis, Tas', Thomas. Trent has had to get these two classes, from LA (and outside of BR), MS, AL, KY. What say you?

Whatever happens next year, I'd contend that the overall talent level is going up, in a deep, foundational way. Better balance (more front line), and now back to back years with some depth. Now, if in 2012, if one or two "impact" recruits start a snowball effect, and the fans actually become "fans" and the team improves, we're definitely headed in the right direction.
:geauxtige