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LOCATION: Baton Rouge, LA
CONFERENCE: Southeastern (Western Division)
LAST SEASON: 12-15 (.444)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 4-12 (6th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 3/2
NICKNAME: Tigers
COLORS: Purple & Gold
HOMECOURT: Pete Maravich Assembly Center (14,164)
COACH: John Brady (Belhaven '76)
record at school 110-110 (8 years)
career record 22-33 (2 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Kermit Davis (Mississippi State '82)
Butch Pierre (Mississippi State '84)
Donnie Tyndall (Morehead State '93)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 12-12-10-9-12
RPI (last 5 years) 106-117-114-161-124
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference first round.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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John Brady needed a break, something good to happen to him and his program after two years worth of player defections, NCAA investigations, NCAA sanctions and 33 losses. Brady knew this would be a tough gig when he made the jump from mid-level Division I school Samford in 1997. Brady had been an assistant at Mississippi State, so he was well aware that the SEC was a rugged league. What Brady didn't know was how dry the talent pool at LSU would ultimately become half the team he inherited from former coach Dale Brown walked out after his first meeting and didn't come back. And he wasn't sure how an NCAA investigation into violations committed during the Brown regime would turn out. When the sanctions came last fall, they hit the program hard, taking away scholarships for the next three years. Brady won't be on equal footing, scholarship-wise, with the rest of the SEC until his sixth year at LSU. The Tigers didn't know until the night before the 1999 SEC Tournament that they would be cleared for postseason play. Through all the hardship, Brady has soldiered onward, hoping that if he and his assistants worked hard and kept their noses clean, they would ultimately get cut a little slack, from somewhere. Brady was right. In early May, assistant coach Kermit Davis found out in a phone conversation with Barton County (Kansas) Community College coach that star guard Lamont Roland was available.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT B+ BENCH/DEPTH D
FRONTCOURT B INTANGIBLES C
After two years of trying to compete in the SEC without talent or depth, at least LSU coach John Brady has one of those commodities this season. "This is the first year I've felt good about our returning players," Brady said. "We've got our most talented group of players since I've been here. I think we've got a chance to make some significant improvement." The Tigers are going to have to rely heavily on newcomers in the backcourt. Torris Bright, a freshman, will have to play the point after the transfer of last year's starter, Omar Seli-Nance, LSU has no one else to play the position. Junior college transfer Lamont Roland should give the Tigers one of the best shooting guards in the conference. LSU's front line of Stromile Swift, Jabari Smith and Brian Beshara might be the second-best group in the Western Division behind only preseason favorite Auburn. Brady has a talented starting five, but little depth. Freshman Ronald Dupree and sophomore Jermaine Williams will have to play key roles, as will redshirt freshman Collis Temple III. If there are any significant injuries, LSU could be in trouble. LSU, which has finished last in the West in Brady's first two seasons, will make a move upward in the division standings this season. Call it fifth if injuries are a problem, and perhaps fourth if the Tigers get lucky and stay healthy. |
Roland, the national junior college player of the year, was headed for Connecticut, but a transcript problem kept him from enrolling there. That meant he could go through the recruiting process again. Roland started his career at Ball State, where he was chosen the freshman of the year in the Mid-American Conference. He left after one season and enrolled at Barton County, but held out hopes of playing at the highest level of Division I. When LSU offered a visit, he readily accepted. Lo and behold, he liked the place, and felt comfortable with Brady. "What a break for us," Brady said. "The timing was just right. The kid wanted to play in a league like the SEC or the Big East. We turned out to be tailor made for him." Tailor made because the Tigers had a big hole to fill at shooting guard after the departure of Maurice Carter (17.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, .415 three-point percentage) who had a great senior season. Roland, a 6-4, 205-pound junior, averaged 24.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in his lone season at Barton County. "He'll improve us at the off-guard position," Brady said. "He's a good shooter and is very good off the dribble. We'd been limited on the perimeter as far as people who can create some things with the ball. Lamont really gives us a nice option." Roland will team with 6-4, 200-pound freshman Torris Bright to give LSU a new backcourt, and a good-sized one at that. Bright was a big-time scorer in high school, averaging 33.4 points at Slidell (La.), where he was chosen the New Orleans area player of the year. He also contributed 8.0 rebounds and 9.0 assists. "Torris is a real talented player," Brady said. "He was first-team all-state for three years. He's more of a scoring point he had 70 in a game but he's also a very good passer. He'll have to play the point for us. We don't have anybody else." That's because last year's starting point guard, Omar-Seli Mance, shocked the LSU staff last spring when he announced he was transferring to Rice. Three other Tigers also bolted for Division I schools: Daryl Cooper (Georgia State), Marqus Ledoux (Tulsa) and Jamaal Wolfe (Southeastern Louisiana). If the Tigers are a tad thin at guard, they are strong up front. Their front line might be the second best in the Western Division behind Auburn. It starts with gifted 6-9 sophomore Stromile Swift (7.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 35 blocked shots), who missed the first third of the season trying to become academically eligible. Swift finally did so two games into the SEC season. After practicing for all of 90 minutes, Swift was thrown into the fray. He played LSU's last 16 games, starting seven times and putting up some scary numbers. Scary? Try 11 blocked shots at Alabama, which set a Coleman Coliseum record. Try 24 points and nine rebounds in a mid-February game at Arizona. Swift, who was a McDonald's and Parade All-American and generally regarded among the top five seniors in his class, did not disappoint, even without participating in practice or games until January. Swift is versatile enough to play several positions. "He can do it all," Brady said. "He may even coach a little bit if it works out right. He can put it on the floor, shoot from the perimeter, rebound, block shots. He needs to get a little more aggressive, but with the benefit of preseason conditioning and exhibition games, we think he's going to make a tremendous amount of improvement." Surrounding Swift in the LSU frontcourt are a pair of veterans who had solid seasons a year ago. Jabari Smith (12.3 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 32 blocked shots), a 6-11 senior, was the Tigers' second-leading scorer. He was second in the SEC in rebounding and ninth in blocked shots. Smith's efforts were all the more impressive considering the junior college transfer sat out the season before while trying to become eligible. Smith is one of the SEC's most mobile big men. He's quick around the basket and can shoot (.507 from the field). Smith can also cash in at the free-throw line (.690 percent). He led the Tigers in free throws made (100) and attempted (145). "Considering he didn't play the year before, Jabari's impact on our team was tremendous," Brady said. "When you're averaging close to a double-double, you're doing a good job." Rice might have taken an LSU player in former point guard Seli-Mance, but it gave the Tigers a better one in 6-8 junior Brian Beshara (11.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 55 assists, 30 steals) who became eligible last season after sitting out a year. Beshara was the Tigers' top three-point shooter last season (28 of 65, .431 percent), but his value doesn't end there. Beshara is a blender, the kind of player who makes those around him better. LSU's starting five isn't bad. The problem Brady will have this season is a lack of depth. Only one other player who earned significant minutes a year ago returns: 6-7 sophomore forward Jermaine Williams (5.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 33 assists). Also back are Brad Bridgewater (2.0 ppg, 1.8 rpg), a 6-8 sophomore, and two little-used guards, 6-4 senior Jack Warner and 6-0 sophomore Brandon Landry. In addition to Bright and Roland, Brady has two other newcomers to add to the mix. Ronald Dupree is a 6-7 freshman who was rated by many recruiting analysts as one of the country's top 100 seniors a year ago. He averaged 25.3 points and 10.3 rebounds for Biloxi (Miss.) High School. Collis Temple III, a 6-6 guard from Baton Rouge University High, redshirted last season.
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