I think there's a clear opportunity to do so. The problem with Brady was that he: 1) didn't know the X's and O's (could not coach an offense to beat a 2-3 zone, did not ever adjust from his man-to-man double post defense) 2) didn't run a real program (20+ defections, APR issues, lack of player retention and graduation) 3) couldn't win consistently (74-93 SEC record) 4) complete ass to everyone who came across him +100000 +1 Million
dont you think this is a bit too rosy an analysis? (why do i always have to be the negative one?) tas seems to have less nba prospects than stro, bass, davis, tt, and anyone else? hell, lloreda and smith had better chances of getting drafted after their jr seasons, and stro after his fr season, and came back. its quite a reach for tas to be drafted at all, and with the ankle injury it dropped even more. so he's coming back. maybe he wouldve gone if brady the jerk were still coaching him, but thats no feather in ctj's cap, just a knock on brady. for the record i'd say shaq.
Just so I'm debating your point properly, I think what you're saying is that I'm being a little too gracious to CTJ? That perhaps at the end of the day, Tas' is just coming back b/c he has to? I suppose that to some extent, sure, we can't tell if Coach Trent was that big of a factor in Tas' decision... I'm just going off what Tas' said. Also, your quote above says it all. Would Tas' have as eagerly come back IF Brady was still here? Probably not. And, so, I'd say that's a fair testament to Trent at least NOT being an impediment to kids coming back. My impression of Brady, whether fair or not, was that kids didn't enjoy playing for him, didn't think he could honestly make them better. I think that kids like Lloreda and Smith came back b/c in their come-back years, they could be the men and showcased. It was unfortunate for Lloreda b/c he got hurt. Smith got drafted b/c he was 6'11" and 250. If you're the pessimist you can view Tas' situation as the glass if half empty. Yes, the guy was probably legitimately a late 2nd rounder to Europe ball guy, and maybe had to come back. To me, you compare though Tas to someone like Bass or Davis, though. Those guys were SEC POY caliber players, who risked not getting drafted to go early. I believe Bass could have definitely played himself into the first round. Big Baby, arguably as well, if they were committed to coming back to LSU and bettering themselves. They at some point didn't though b/c they either (1) didn't like playing at LSU or (2) didn't think playing at LSU would benefit them. You can discount CTJ as well, but then you look at how other comparable coaches are fairing with this issue... NC and Billy D, Malcolm White transferring from Kennedy's watch, Tim Floyd and his crew of one-and-dones. Perhaps a better example is Marcus Thornton. Tas' at some level may have seen what another year did for MT. MT could have been drafted in the 2nd round last year by a NBA team looking for a project SG. Instead he came back, got better, showed a different kind of game (developed a more all-round approach), and now, he's a mid to late first rounder. Marcus could have left with Trent coming in, but made the choice to stay. I do think there's an overall changing culture on the team under Trent, which is a positive (not sure what led to Graham going astray, but assume it's b/c the kid couldn't follow rules). This leadership does affect attrition and overall continuity of a program, which was one of the biggest complaints against CJB. So, I don't think that feeling is overstated with what CTJ brings.
3) didnt have any business being in college in the first place (although its certainly not like Thornton was any different). there's really no way to know what the decisions were based on, so people that like ctj will say Tas stayed because coach is so great and people that hate brady will say that bass and davis, etc left because of brady. there is a track record with brady, so i'll buy the point with his players. but i wont buy that ctj kept tas here. without the injury and if he were projected first rd then i would.
I'll agree with you in this point--it's definitely matters what perspective (coach hater or coach lover) you're coming from. And, I'm also not saying that Tas' JUST came back b/c of Trent. But, I do think the kind of program Trent is running IS a factor. At the end of the day, I don't think a coach can do much for any player that wants to leave and is projected to be a high pick. I'd argue that if Tas' was a first round pick, then no matter what coach is here, he really should consider going. Then, if a player comes back in those kinds of circumstances, it's either the fact that the kid just loves school (is in a unique situation of not needing the $) or has a chance to win a NC--and the coach is just a small part of that equation. But, I'm saying that where a player is in a more tenuous situation--perhaps a situation where it's "unwise" for a player to go into the NBA or take a gamble instead of coming back for one more year to develop and further your education--then it's more important for the coach in that situation NOT to be a factor AGAINST that kid coming back. Whereas Brady may have been a factor in a negative way, Trent clearly is not. I guess to me that's an important distinction to what you're saying. And, only time will tell. So far, I'm judging Trent on results, albeit a short track. Marcus stayed. Now, Tas stayed. The LSU team will be far better for it in both years. Here are more quotes from Tas'/Trent from Rivals' story... "I'm coming back to a great program and a great coach," Mitchell said. "In the end, the best thing was for me to get my degree and have one more year to be a Tiger. The workouts went well. Some people felt I could have possibly been a second-round pick. "But, it felt better coming home to be a LSU Tiger. It will be exciting to play once again in front of the great fans at LSU. I will do whatever coach (Trent) Johnson needs me to do to help this team move forward." ... "Tasmin had a great experience going through this process and he is now excited about getting with his teammates," Johnson said. "The team has started lifting at 6:30 a.m. four days a week. "I am giving Tasmin the next week and a half off to settle back in. Then, he will rejoin the team." Again, can't wait to see the product on the court next year.
