Why Trent Johnson should be fired

There's so much work that needs to happen between now and next year to have any shot at making something happen. Things that need cleaning up In no particular order:

• Consistent guard play,
• Turnovers,
• Shot selection,
• Rebounds, rebounds, rebounds.

Experience will cure some of that, coaching will help others. Time will tell.

 

I think if Turner dedicates himself in the off-season, he could possibly put up Marcus Thornton type numbers.

 

So how long are we to wait for Johnon to build the program to his liking? At what point does it go from a plan to an excuse? Practicing patience is one thing but at what point do you say enough?

I know some on this forum kept saying JJ was young...he was inexperienced...he needed more starts...he needed another spring session...etc. but in the end the kid just never got it. It never clicked for him and his four years are over.

Considering the athletic talent in the state, the fan base, the upgraded facilities, the campus, etc. what are the true expectations for a basketball program at LSU?

We had Shaq, Pistol Pete, Pettit...four Final Four appearances...numerous SEC POY...and at one point a 10 year streak of NCAA appearances. Do we want an occasional winner or an annual contender?

I really hope Johnson succeeds. I like what he said regarding the type of "student" athlete he wants and the type of program he wants to build. I just hope these "wants" also equal wins.

 

Notre Dame football fans have bought into the "academic standards" excuse for their national irrelevance for over a decade, so it could go on a long time here as long as Trent posts mediocre seasons. And I would maintain that our fans have been very patient up to this point.

You have "mid-majors" like Xavier who can make deep tourny runs every few years with junior/senior laden teams, but are sporadic contenders by definition. In today's game you do need one-and-done players to be a true threat every year. They don't have to form the nucleus of the team, but you do need some, and coaches need the ability to take the Rico Gathers of the world, egos and all, and form a cohesive unit on the floor. Incidentally, this is something Calipari is very, very good at. And I worry that Trent is either unwilling or unable (or both) to do so with Louisiana talent. More than that, I worry that our fans would settle for perennial mediocrity when many of the things we need to build a successful program are now in place.

 

I've been frankly a little quiet of late since the Gathers announcement, and a little shellshocked. But, a near week later, I'll say that it's interesting here that even on one board and one thread, you see the wide disparity of views here---ultimately, much of it ties to the love or hate of Trent, obviously.

First off, Rico Gathers. Let's be real here. The kid just didn't want to go to LSU... I'm not jaded here, but let's look at the facts. The family was not a LSU homebred family. Brother went to GA Tech and was "handling" his recruitment. Gathers basically threw out every big name he could get in contact with--Duke, UK, Florida, etc. He was a kid talking about transfering from Reserve to play at Findlay Prep in Las Vegas just so he could get more exposure! Is he wrong in doing this? No, but frankly, we were probably hoping for something that wasn't realistic--bottom line the kid wanted to leave the state. When he decommitted from STJ, it was frankly again, for his sake. The kid wanted to join a program that was going somewhere, and he wanted to sign with a big class with a bunch of other stars. When STJ's class imploded, so did his commitment. When that happened, obviously everyone expected LSU to "get another shot". You have folks locally in the media saying it was a "done deal" for LSU, etc. That probably didn't help, but frankly, even then I wasn't convinced that Gathers didn't just want to use that time to go to some LSU football games, and at the same time, play the field. Again, is he allowed to do that? Yes, to some degree. But, when he turns around and makes it all about "LSU not trying hard enough", then that's where he's probably crossed the line. Trent HAS been recruiting this kid for almost 4 years, as SOON as he's got here. Brent Scott went to a ton of this kid's games. How many games did the Baylor staff go to? When Gathers says, he visited Baylor and "felt the love" what was that? Love on his official trip? It's somewhat ridiculous. In the end Gathers needed something to say to cover off the hometown media and fans asking the question of why then not LSU? Poor taste and poor judgment is the bottomline, and frankly, well, maybe things work out for the best.

Now, can we blame Trent and LSU? Maybe, perhaps. If LSU was recruiting as well as Kentucky, or Florida, or even Baylor, perhaps Gathers would have come? If it wasn't just Malik Morgan who had committed, but also another couple of McDAAs? Let's be realistic. Let's also be realistic about the team's record. Let's be fair about Trent and the coaches before him. Where did Greg Monroe, DJ Augustin, Shan Foster, sign? Where did the NO kids that signed with GTown, and other big programs sign, during Brown's tenure? I think that we can be harsh on Trent for not signing Gathers, but I guess I'd make the case that when has LSU ever locked down all of the best players in the state every year? Frankly, Morgan will help LSU perhaps more than Gathers, and he's the #2 guy in the state. We lost the number 1 kid to Baylor and the #3 kid to Texas. On paper, I can't dispute the reasons for that.

From just a pure recruiting standpoint, I can say this. The type of kid that LSU can get right now MUST be a kid who wants to build something. Who has pride in the state, the program AND who wants to build something. Until LSU can say it's arrived at a state of challenging for the SEC title, consistently, it won't be able to pick off McD AAs across the board. To say that Trent (and yes, he makes $1.5m or so) should recruit as well as Calipari ($5M), Billy D ($4M), and others, would also be delusional by LSU fans. This program is going to be rebuilt with kids like Anthony Hickey, John Isaac, Ralston Turner, Malik Morgan, Justin Hamilton, Eddie Ludwig. Trent (and LSU fans) should want players who are good, but WANT to be at LSU and believe in the team. Trent has said from time and time again, that give him time and he knows how to build a program. I think you can start to see the fruits of his labor (and I know that's taken a while).

I'm bummed as the next LSU fan that Rico Gathers couldn't choose to come to LSU, but I'm willing to watch Trent's scrappy team continue to gel and get better. Hickey, O'Bryant, Turner, Stringer, Isaac, are all sophomores or freshman. Add Morgan to that mix, and another year of experience and Justin Hamilton as a Senior, and you don't think LSU will be better? :yelwink2:

Now, the positives are we're beating the likes of Alabama, Marquette, etc. this year. The question mark still will be with me this spring recruiting season, now without Gathers. Front court depth, additional help on the wing and depth at PG are what this team needs. Let's remember that we signed Hickey in the spring, and I'll say perhaps Anthony Hickey Jr was Trent's most important signing in all of his time here. With guys like Shavon Coleman out there (and here's a kid that perhaps WANTS to be in LA and play for the purple and gold), or other kids that we may not know about, I am comfortable with this foundation for the future, and cautiously optimistic about what other key ingredients this staff can find--obviously those few additional players continue to build on a program getting better (and for those hoops fans, contrast that with a program like South Carolina, or Tennessee, or Auburn/Ole Miss). An Orlando Sanchez, a Shavon Coleman, another point guard who can help break down the defense, and pitch the ball out to Stringer, Turner, Morgan on the wing, I'm still happy with where this program is headed.

:geaux::geauxtige

 

The hoops word.... from ALEX FARRER?

Look who's giving his mid-season report on the Tigers' men's team?

None other than former LSU player, Brady recruit and Trent player, Alex Farrer. Writing for Scout now, and well, perhaps there's someone in LSU media town that will call it like it is?

Scout.com: Farrer: In focus

In any case, there's a lot of wisdom here in this report. Overall, though, it's hard to say that this team isn't improving and it seems it continues to get closer and closer to being pretty good, with just a few pieces missing. The question as always though, is it fast enough and will the proper tweaks that are needed be made?