Trent Johnson ... time to go???

Sometimes I am, sometimes I'm not. I'll admit I'm pretty hard on Miles, especially in the midst of the season, but I've calmed down a bit since that rant. I'm still not overly enamoured with Miles, but there is no doubt that some of the things that he does are rare and very good for LSU. I am hopeful that he can pull it all together. I think the problem is either Miles or Crowton, but Miles is staying (at least, won't be fired) and if he wants to bring Crowton back then it's his call and maybe, just maybe, he knows better than I do. My gut reaction would be disappointment, but I'd be hopeful that Miles would right the ship.

Let's make it consistently to March Madness before we start worrying about championships. At this point, I'd rather consistency, to be honest. Again, LSU basketball is not equal to football. We can talk about championships once we can make the tournament on a regular basis. So I'm still hopeful that Coach Johnson can at least deliver that.

 

I miss the Deaf Dome too. Those were great times. I think I'm a little more hopeful at this point than you are, and maybe you are more passionate about basketball than I am. I'm a little more than a casual fan, but just a little more. Probably halfway between football (love) and baseball (ho-hum).

 

Ditto. I want LSU basketball to mean something again, like it was in the 80s and early 90s. Hopefully, a year or two from now, it will be again.

"We are only as strong as a collective unit, and we have to fight through it. I tell you, I love the position we are in. I really do. What I told the guys is just hang tough because we are going to have the last laugh. I don't know when it is going to be, but we are going to have the last laugh. I really feel good about that because this is a group and we are going to continue to grow and continue to get better. That is what it should be about when things are tough. Everyone on the outside can doubt, but don't doubt yourself and don't doubt teammates."

--Trent Johnson at Dec 30th press conference.

I like this guy.

 

I think the issue is that the bulk of the recruiting is being handled by Trent, Donny Guerinoni, Lynn Nance and Brent Scott and not Brittany Carvalhido.

In all seriousness, I just don't see the connections to the area by the coaching staff like we saw with Brady (Butch Pierre). Richard was on the staff for a while, but I don't think he's much of a recruiter. Guerinoni is from out West and played out West. Scott is from the upper Midwest and played in Texas. Both are pretty young so I doubt either has built up any kind of network yet.

 

Before LSU hired Trent Johnson, I wanted LSU to go after a coach that puts an up-tempo, exciting brand of basketball on the court. That would be the best way to get the Deaf Dome back. I think LSU fans are casual fans for the most part when it comes to basketball. Winning would help, but I don't think LSU fans can fully appreciate a grind it out type of basketball team.

 

I get you. Funny thing is that when the search was on, most of the "reported" or "rumored" names, philosophically at least, looked alot like John Brady, defensive minded "fundamental" guys. Trent, Bennett, A.Grant, all were in consideration. Another guy, Travis Ford was about the most "up tempo" of the bunch, but ironically now he's at Ok State, with Butch P as his main recruiting assistant.

The guy I would have been pretty jazzed about too, would have been Mike Anderson now at Missouri. He's got a Jr laden team in the top 10 right now, and has SEC ties. Plays the pressure d, and seems to be a reasonable ok recruiter. Frankly, he would have had an easier time recruiting to LSU over Missouri given his southern background.

I think Trent just needs some time to get O'Bryant and Hamilton to join a amore seasoned backcourt next year. Trent hasn't always played slow, he's actually had teams in the past play more up tempo.

 

A subtle point to the debate, in addition to the APR issue, is of course the "perception of integrity" issue. I would assume that most folks that post on boards are obsessed with winning above all else, but I have to say that one of the things that seemed to hurt Brady was his credibility, his professionalism, and the kind of image he portrayed when he put LSU on his sleeve. Now, he certainly wasn't the worst, but he definitely wasn't the best...

That said, I found it interesting in the latest twist of Mississippi State's plot with Renardo Sidney and this bit of basketball news...

Mississippi State's Renardo Sidney staying, Elgin Bailey leaving - NCAA Basketball - SI.com

It appears that Sidney and former LA prep player Elgin Bailey were both suspended for fighting each other, and now Bailey wants off the team. Remember that (1) Bailey was recruited by Brady, but chose to go to MSU, and (2) Sidney was recruited by Trent briefly, and then LSU backed off him (much like other big programs like UCLA). Sidney was regarded by many as a "one and done" talented kid, although folks questioned his work ethic and character (NCAA investigated him and his family for accepting payments). Stansbury, of course, jumped at the chance to sign this kid.

Now, little has been made on our board of the fact that in the SEC West, MSU was predicted to be the frontrunner. Frankly, they've been a mess this year, with I think 6 or so losses, with a more experienced more talented team. Who knows what will happen the rest of the SEC season, but I don't know why any Miss recruit would choose to play for Stansbury over someone like Trent... And, frankly, I'm not sure why any good LA player would now go to MSU (this also happened with Kodi Augustus and another kid around the same time). I feel bad for Bailey, who's now looking for a new home. It's interesting that several top MS recruits (Stringer, Courtney and O'Bryant) have chosen to make LSU home given their options in MS (note, Ole Miss is actually doing all right and likely will take the top spot in the West now).

I just don't know how many of the folks screaming for Trent's head would prefer the kind of program run by Bruce Pearl or Rick Stansbury or others in similar ilk. I'm pretty sure Alleva made his pick with a certain kind of program being run in mind.