Hold on... our basketball Tigers have been GaTech of the ACC and Rutgers and Marquette of the Big East? WOW! That is some resume material for March. Well Done Tigers.
Dec. 19, 2011 11:51 p.m. - by Glenn Guilbeau - Williams: 'I'm not shocked; LSU is really good' Marquette coach Buzz Williams on 67-59 upset loss to unranked LSU: "I'm not shocked; LSU is really good. I don't think LSU was shocked by us. They were not intimidated by us. Our guys were excited to play. As the game went on, we didn't play like we should have, but a lot of that was because of LSU." Always nice to hear post-game compliments from well-respected opposing coach. Great win for Trent and his team.
It's funny to me that everyone is surprised that the fans were so rowdy. Every time I went to a game, the crowd was on the verge of going crazy and just needed a little help. Crowds just want something to cheer about. That's why it was so crazy when Tyrus Thomas was taking off for dunks from the three point line.
These are the kinds of wins I was hoping to start seeing this season. This will build buzz among the fans and momentum going into SEC play.
A little shooting touch, heart & hustle and FAITH, brother. That's how. :grin::geauxtige:grin: Let' me just say, I'm super pumped, of course. But, thank god I don't have to get on this board and type up another email defense of Trent Johnson (although stay tuned :hihi... KUDOS KUDOS KUDOS to Trent, the team and the first win over a ranked opponent since 2007. While this may just seem like a win over a big east school, to me there were some interesting storylines. First Marq was undefeated, and had absolutely schlacked Ole Miss in an early season game--an Ole Miss team that's predicted to finish above LSU in that "mid-pack" of the SEC. Second, you've got one of the hottest coaches in the game, Buzz Williams, a journeyman coach from TX who frankly has made all of the Marq fans forget about Tom Crean by winning and winning consistently, up against an embattled LSU coach who's frankly got the LSU fans forgetting that he's a COY in three different leagues. Look, what we said all along was that this program needed some time to turn the corner, to learn how to win, all of the things that Saban needed when he got here, other turn around coaches needed for other programs. I'm not going to get too syched yet, because frankly the Tigers are primed for a let down game against a very dangerous UNT team coming up next. But, I'm going to savor this win, and yes, this will be huge come post-season review---this is a TOURNEY affecting win folks, a resume win. We haven't had one of those in a while, so let's not forget this feeling. I just want to speak to a couple of other items. The FANS. Although not a sell-out, I hope there is more of this support coming. You need to have those exciting wins to rally the troops for sure, but as I've posted before, it really helps to have those fans to get those exciting wins.... "The fans, they were just, wow, it was like a football game. At Christmas (break), for them to come back was a great thing. The support from the fans will help to build the PMAC back up." - Anthony Hickey. For those wanting to see more, go to Basketball Rallies, Battles Past No. 10 Marquette - LSUsports.net - The Official Web Site of LSU Tigers Athletics for highlights and quotes. Also, you don't think recruits are watching? 2013 top 75 SF, Jarrell Martin, was in attendance. You don't think Rico Gathers (now with offer from Duke btw ) isn't watching? You can start to see where this team could improve and improve in a hurry--Ralston finally plays to his potential, but you've got at points in this game, the three freshman playing together, and you've got our Seniors contributing as well. Bass, Warren and White, all seniors--Kudos. And, another solid performance from Justin Hamilton. Trent is finally finding some rotations and the team is finding some confidence. The key is bottling up that experience of coming back with defense, refusing to lose feeling, and that ability to fight, and keeping it going. Lastly, Deek, you bring up the Brady comparison. At one level, yes, defense, rebounding and playing with toughness is certainly a common trait both men had. But, don't the comparisons end there? Obviously, I've learned to keep my mouth shut until the end of the season, as the season's a long one, but to all of those folks that would talk about firing Trent, and bringing back Brady (there actually has been that craziness out there, gasp ), let's not forget about all of the other things that a coach should be doing like being a role model for student athletes, for keeping the kids on the straight and narrow (academics and otherwise), for community activities (charitable), for bringing folks together proud of LSU (e.g., Shaq statue). It kills me when folks seem to overlook all of the things that made Brady not such a good ambassador for this program, and while more of a no-nonsense guy, Trent is getting compliments from opposing coaches and former players. I hope that whatever happens this season (although I do think this team has shown it is vastly improved and will fight for the postseason), folks start to turn the corner on Trent too... he's a good man, good coach, and knows what he's doing... if he can convince some Spring recruits of this, the sky is the limit for this program again. :geaux: LSU coach and former Boise State player Trent Johnson known for intensity | Boise State Basketball | Idaho Statesman
I thought John Issac's defense was very good last night. We may have another Garrett Temple type shut down guard in that guy.
I thoroughly enjoyed that one. While we did have TO's and had an off night on the FT line we played tough and got the breaks when we needed them. Shooting lights out help even though we didn't put up a ton of shots. Offensive second chances were key as well as a good defense. Looking good now...let's keep it up.
Classy comments from Buzz Williams. Like to see that. Also, I echo whoever said Isaac had a great game as well. He has impressed me over the last two games. Hit some big shots and plays hard defense on the perimeter.
I don't want to bring back Brady, but I still think that LSU really needs a coach who can recruit and promote this program on the level of Dale Brown, and CTJ has not shown this ability. I have seen throughout the past two seasons the same type of offensive struggles against zone defense that I saw throughout the Brady tenure. Combine that with his known theories on offense and dry personality.... and I really see two very similar coaches out there. Having said all that, you do make good points about his being a better person, relative lack of attrition, and focus on academics to keep the program out of APR trouble. HOWEVER.... Last night I saw a focused, energized effort. I saw depth. I saw talent, and I saw kids contribute at key spots in the game on both offense and defense. I haven't seen this since 2009. Let's keep it up. It's all about recruiting. :geaux:
