the only concern i have at all is that lsu will get rid of ctj.

Troy Jones - 6'7" PF

Rivals reports a new offer to 2012 Junior Troy Jones, a 6'7" 190ish, Forward from LA basketball perennial power, Peabody, in Alexandria.

Interesting as he's another forward offer in LA. Could he play more PF or SF? Does this signal something vis a vis Ricardo Gathers, who could play the same spot?

Not a ton out on Jones, but he's a three year starter for Peabody who does play inside. Perhaps the staff saw something they liked in this local kid. Perhaps some heart, maturity, athleticism, despite not a "high profiled" talent. Likely someone to watch, develop and hopefully someone who adds an inch or two. He's obviously got to gain weight, but perhaps he's a leaper...

PEABODY BRINGS DYNASTY TO SUGAR BOWL CLASSIC | Allstate Sugar Bowl National Prep Classic

Salmen falls to Alexandria-Peabody in Allstate Sugar Bowl boys basketball tournament - NOLA.com

Ok, so how do you feel now? Is this team improving?

I am as frustrated as the next guy. No real joy in moral victories. BUT, if you're being a fair critic, you're saying, this team with 3 freshman guards, just played close with SEC leading Florida, right? You held a high scoring Billy D team to under 70, and you have that team within striking distance with under 4 minutes to go. Is it a win? Obviously not. Is it embarassing? Hopefully not.

But, as has been discussed at nauseum on this board, RECRUITING is the lifeblood to any program. Why are we looking at a pretty bad season again? Well, to be fair, partly due to recruiting starting in 2006-7, partly due to recruiting since then. BUT, when you see Ralston Turner, a freshman, put 18 points on Florida (with many contested shots, mind you). Are you kind of optimistic? Yes. When you see LSU landing it's first McDAA since a long time in Johnny O'Bryant (and the first OOS McDAA signing by LSU since ?), are you optimistic? Hopefully. Let's not forget that when LSU gets Justin Hamilton on the floor and Del Piero (I know, I did say, Del Piero), will LSU be one of the few teams in the SEC with a few 7 footers? Yes.

I think since this is a 2012 thread, I have to post a tidbit about the future of LA high school ball. First folks really don't understand I think what an affect Katrina had on high school hoops in LA, and frankly, the fact that LA high school ball is not what it is TX or Florida--the numbers just aren't there to cherry pick the best handful of players in your state like Rick Barnes does. LSU has found it's success and failure on the backs of local recruits in the last 15 years (Bass, Glen Davis, Tasmin Mitchell--all local Baton Rouge signees). And, and has been pointed out, it doesn't take too many McDAAs to make yourself respectable. But, you need to sign a few impacting players every year, with few "off" years. Since really Greg Monroe and DJ Augustin (both N.O. products), who have the stellar LA recruits been year in and year out to sustain that success?

Well, that's changing, slowly. Even as you look at the past few years, the Mr. Basketball of LA has been telling. Rivals top 100 kids at best. That could change starting in 2012. Ricardo Gathers, is the first top 50 type of recruit out of LA (potential LA McDAA), since probably Greg Monroe/DJ Augustin. Kids of course that LSU whiffed on. You add to that Jevan Felix, a probably top 100 ish PG. But, look beyond that and see the kinds of programs at traditional LA programs, like St. Augustine, forming. See: Felix, Victor part of loaded St. Augustine hoops present, future

Could Gathers and Felix join LSU and be part of a very strong rebuilding effort adding to Ralston Turner, Johnny O'Bryant (again, McDAA)? A point guard and a bullish SF, to an already probably All-SEC SG and PF in years to come? Adding to local LA kids that have pride in LSU like Matt Derenbecker and John Isaac? Add to that Bridgewater in 2013 and Craig Victor in 2014, with many more LA recruits finding their way back into national notariety?

I hope LSU fans will find patience, and yet, enthusiasm for the program. The building blocks ARE beginning to form there, but you have to see that each one of these kids can be, and are essential, to adding to that building process. Felix and Gathers want to play together (per article)? Because as I do hope ultimately, deep down, these kids want to play together with other good LA kids for a coach that can relate and teach them and keep them positive despite adversity.

We can have the "fam" at LSU in basketball. We can and we need to.

Let's be optimistic and show these kids that we do care about hoops at LSU. :geauxtige:bball::geauxtige

Man, I really enjoy your posts !!...great insight.

I have been wondering about Katrina's effect on basketball. When I evacuated to Birmingham, I met a LOT of people from NO who didn't have anything to return to. They didn't own a house and had no jobs to return to. These people stayed wherever the were (Most Likely) because they were better off wherever they landed...better schools, better apartments, lower crime rate, etc. So these kids developed in other states. Someone who evacuated as a four foot seventh grader is possibly now maybe a 6'7" 212 lb. power forward on a team somewhere else in another state.

Losing developed athletes five years ago and potential athletes in the last few years probably devastated some playground and high school pipelines.

Not to even mention the fact that NORD programs are non existent still today because of neighborhoods that are still under populated and in disarray.


It makes sense when you allude to the devastating effect Katrina had. New Orleans, at least, lost both the athletes and the facilities.

excellent post/insight. i think you are, solo (literally by yourself), keeping all of our hopes up, and helping us maintain some semblance of patience.

Not alone...I'm with you ATXTiger!

Thanks for the words of encouragement folks, now, if only the positivity would spread amongst our "fan" base. I look at some of the chatter, and board bashing, and I see everything from threads that smack of racism to ignorance. When the season is over I hope to do an in-depth analysis and discussion to wrap up a very difficult season. There is no doubt that this team has underachieved this year, but the line between success and failure is often very thin.

On the N.O./Katrina piece, I can still sort of harken back to the DJ Augustin non-signing year as a pivotal moment for Mr. Brady. Frankly, I can still hear CJB talking about how if Katrina didn't happen, DJ would have been at LSU. Not entirely sure about that, but there's no doubt that it had an affect. Think about how DJ would have changed that era of LSU ball. You really can't blame the guy for wanting to play at Texas with Kevin Durant, but frankly, he could have been there at LSU with Big Baby and Tas', too. I could make the argument that that "whiffing" by CJB and Butch on him, failing to have a back up option with Demond Carter and then more or less not signing anyone in that class that was impactful sealed his fate with a slow decline for the next two years.

In this case, we see how incredibly important the right coach, the right relationship, has on the success of the program. I honestly don't think that either Augustin or Monroe wanted to play for CJB, despite at some level wanting to stay in-state.

Now, the question for Trent's legacy is, do kids like Gathers, Felix, Bridgewater and Victor, want to play for Trent? It's obvious that kids like Eddie Ludwig, Matt Derenbecker and John Isaac did. And, for better or for worse, these kids have represented some of the better LA recruits the past few years.

Fans, rightfully so, often get so wrapped up in W-L records and championships, but lose sight that in college athletics, that bond between coach and player is a little different than it is in the pros. Folks respected Dale Brown, as a coach and a person, for example. That respect and aura is very much part of the recruiting element. Afterall, ask Tasmin Mitchell why he came back to play for Trent. Ask Marcus Thornton whether he thinks Trent is a good coach. I sometimes find it funny when players talk great about a coach, while the fans bash a coach. Who's more important in that game? Well, probably the players. Now, I'm not equating Trent to Dale just yet. And, I'm not saying just because a player supports a coach, he is the best coach for that school. But, Trent can probably take solice in the fact that what comes around goes around at LSU (after all, weren't LSU fans about to show Miles the door at the beginning of this season?). And, fans should remember that Trent won the SECC his first year with players that barely went .500 the year before--he can't be a bad coach, right?

I still maintain that, at least right now, players/recruits do respect Trent Johnson. Do they necessarily believe that LSU is Kentucky, Duke, or even a "mid-tier" basketball school like Missouri or Butler, right now? No, probably not, but the question is did kids like Ralston Turner (who had offers from the likes of Alabama, Notre Dame) believe LSU could be great again? Yes, I believe no doubt LSU could be back in the top 3 or 4 teams in the SEC, on an annual basis, which is where Trent should have this thing pointed in a year or two--assuming everyone buys in and continues to build and support the program. He's going to of course need some help along the way, buying into that--from recruits, players, administration and fans. That's the collective goal for everyone who follows LSU basketball.

:geaux::bball::geaux:

that's true, you have been the other lone positive voice. kudos.

You could be right, my friend, but I'm cautiously optimistic. Anything can happen in a year. Afterall, MSU was picked by many to win the SEC West this year, right? In the topsy turvy SEC West, teams are seemingly up and down all of the time. Could be injuries, transfers at the end of a season, kids going pro.

I think the race will be between Alabama/LSU/Arkansas for the West. MSU could be on the decline with both some kids graduating and well, turmoil in the program. Ole Miss has some kids like Chris Warren graduating (finally). Arkansas will be good with more young talent coming in, but frankly, I have a lot more confidence in Trent's coaching than I do Pelphrey. LSU with Hamilton and O'Bryant will also finally have a neutralizer against guard heavy teams like Ole Miss and Auburn. They will also match up a lot better against Alabama and Arkansas with more size.

There's no reason to get crazy yet, but very subtle personnel changes and player/team confidence and momentum can often times swing the balance in a big way--after all the 2006 FF run is an example of that. I think if we see decent improvement from the freshmen guards, more consistency from Dotson, O'Bryant is as advertised, and Hamilton is just decent and not rusty, you will see a pretty deep, good team at LSU. Look at the kind of games that Garrett Green played tonight and Malcolm White's improvement as of late, and you see some of these kids getting a lot of experience for next year when they are seniors, too.

LSU should be top half of the SEC West for sure, and in an overall more experienced SEC, perhaps 6-7 teams go to the tourney. Anything can happen.