Hoops Post-Mortem (Part 2 of 2): What’s coming and What to hope for.

Some good news. LSU gets commitment from 4 star guard Malik Morgan. :thumb:

 

Just putting an end to the Matt Derenbecker chapter.... after all of the hubbub about going to Tulane, Matt's transfering to Dayton (Ohio) without having visited.

Former LSU basketball player Matt Derenbecker will transfer to University of Dayton | NOLA.com

At least at some level if the move was made for a more "studious setting" you'd say going to Dayton over Tulane makes sense. It's also a wannabe basketball school in a mid-major sort of setting (remember Anthony Hickey Jr. was pursued heavily by Dayton). In any case, I hope Matt finds what's he looking for in Ohio...

 

While with good reason, LSU football dominates the headlines, quietly Trent and the LSU basketball team prepare for an October 14th start to the season. Die hards can go back to the Post-Season postings I made on what came to be and needs to be, but as I noted, several areas were needing to be addressed and some of them were.

But, staying with some positives:

Trent helped big with the Shaq statue. Shaq says nice things about Trent and bringing the old LSU players back. Some good ex-NBA love is a good thing, how good of thing it is remains to be seen.

Trent was out promoting his team on LSU campus (Dodgeball tournament, doing the Greek frat/sorority tours). He also had the team doing some charity work. Say what you want about Trent the coach, but he's an honorable man.

Walk-on try outs were conducted. No one named yet as a walk on to a deeper, but yet unproven team.

ESPN grades LSU upcoming non-conference season as a 5 on a 10 point scale, which is likely about where Trent needs them to be. A non-conference schedule that should allow LSU to get some much needed wins, but tests them in spots.

Nonconference schedule analysis: SEC - College Basketball Nation Blog - ESPN

I'm most interested in seeing how the coaching staff is gelling, and how the new kids look with the older kids. How Johnny O'Bryant and Hamilton play together are huge. How Hickey fits into the rotation with Turner & Stringer, along with what extra defense, toughness can John Isaac bring, are huge. I'd also like to see a healthy Warren, and a more mature Ludwig, White. Expect the unexpected with this team.

:geauxtige

 

Very interested to see where Trent will take this team. On the bright side, nowhere to go but up.

 

What's the latest on Anthony Randolph coaching during the lockout?

 

So, it's certainly early to be taking a season assessment, but heck, with Nikki Caldwell beating down teams by 60 on the women's side, and the men feeling good about themselves after a decent showing in Charleston, perhaps it's time to continue the LSU men's hoop discussion. Keep HOPE alive, I say! Or, in other words, GET ON THE LSU BANDWAGON!

As I go back to some of the things that I outlined above when the season ended, we can see some interesting moves and signs of progress. Obviously some areas that could continue to see some work. But, some interesting tidbits to note...

LSU strength program: Whether a fair attribution or not, look at what a difference a season makes. No pre-season injuries, folks seem to be in shape. I've been very impressed with Hickey's stamina as a freshman, and kids like Stringer look to be stronger. Ludwig's had to slim down and get quicker. O'Bryant is probably a little bit out of shape, but seems at least at a weight where he's not hindered. Hamilton looks reasonably strong and athletic out there. A- for our strength team.

Recruiting: Sometimes, let's face it. Recruiting is a crap shoot. We don't know who LSU is recruiting, Trent keeps it close to the vest. Then, we don't know what kids are most serious about us. When we were last talking in Spring, it was down to Dylan Talley, a couple of other point guards a JUCO kid from NC, and a high schooler out of Kentucky. I like many liked what Dylan Talley could bring as a versatile 6'4" big combo guard. I also liked a little Youtube sensation point guard Cezar Guerrero out of Cali, who ultimately signed w Ok St (averaging 15.7 ppg in 22 minutes per game with incredible shooting percentages) in the spring. In the end, I think we're all very happy we got Hickey. :grin: While it's hard to say that stats tell the whole story on a team, Talley is averaging only about 19 mpg and his line is ok-- 6 ppg, 3 apg, 1 tpg--for his Nebraska team (funny small world is that Bo Spencer actually leads that Nebraska team in scoring at 17 ppg). Sam Grooms, the JUCO PG that ultimately signed with Oklahoma, is averaging 30 mpg, around 7.5 ppg, 4.5 apg, 2.5 tpg, but a horrific 17% fg percentage. Anthony Hickey's line? 13.4 ppg, 4 rpg, 4.8 apg, 2.8 tpg in about 30 mpg. You look at this 2011 class which was for all intensive purposes not ranked and rated at the bottom half of the SEC, and you see a potential All-SEC Freshman in Hickey, Johnny O'B who has held up his end of the deal, and a John Isaac who I predict will see more key PT as the season goes on. A for spring recruiting.​

Coaching Shake-Up. Here, I think the jury's still out. Adding Nick Robinson in place of a Nance was a change, but the results will show in the team's performance. I think whether Trent fully admits it or not, LSU flirted with J-Mychael Reese's dad, who is now on the Texas A&M staff, a AAU guy out of Houston. As one would expect, J-Mychael Reese, a high scoring 6'2" ish combo guard makes up one half of the Texas A&M decent fall signing class. With Nick focusing on player development, and recruiting, let's see what develops here. As a player he was a defensive minded guard--let's see what he does with current players and recruits. I'd still like to see another addition for more recruiting in fertile grounds in East Texas, LA and Mississippi, but so far it seems like the staff is squeezing more out of the kids--press breakers look good, more defensive principles being used early. B for coaching shake-up.​

Now what about buzz? Well, the administration seems on board with some promotions... free first game brought out about 7,100 for the Nicholls State game. That's probably higher than towards the end of the last year, and for an early season game, when you see empty arenas for much of the ESPN opening tourneys, that's not horrible. The proof of change will hit for our marquee home games in the OOC and SEC. No march madness to get our recruits to, but LSU seems content on letting the LSU home football games do the recruiting. It seemed to work for Shaq.... but I think it's a mistake not to do a march madness kind of thing next fall, and invite every single LA hoops player of some significance to it. Kids like Jarrell Martin, Stan Mays, Craig Victor, need to feel some LSU hoops energy and see the PMAC like it was in the 80's and early 90s'. B- for administration promotion.​

So, all of this for a team that's 3-2, with a few good wins and arguably one bad loss? What I think we can talk about is HOPE. If there's a prospect of being good, it's there and perception sometimes is reality. There are interesting pieces there. Young talent there. And, you think about a deadly shooter/scorer coming in with Malik Morgan next year. Ricardo Gathers is thinking hard about joining? And, you see an LSU team that could be 10 deep and continuing to get better with kids like Gathers, Morgan, and possibly another spring signee where Trent pulls something out of his hat (impact big man, please!)? Time to start getting excited folks. South Alabama tomorrow... :geaux:​

 

LSU is stepping it up a notch.... $5 mens basketball tickets for the month of December. That includes Boise State and Marquette, if you buy the tickets this weekend. Folks, pack the PMAC, if not all of the games, at least for Marquette! It could be a ranked team going DOWN on LSU hardwood on December 19th...

'Black Friday' Savings on December Hoops Tickets - LSUsports.net - The Official Web Site of LSU Tigers Athletics

 

Just saw that CC beat Clemson @ Clemson...Still think we should have beat them and not that Clemson is great but maybe CC is better then we thought...

 

USA's tallest player is 6'6 and we are being out rebounded 21-12 at the half WTH!

 

The team does know they're allowed to grab boards too, right?