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Tiger Basketball Review - Recent Past vs. Present

Posted on 1/13/13 at 4:37 pm
Posted by CoachCJ40
Pineville
Member since Mar 2006
141 posts
Posted on 1/13/13 at 4:37 pm
As I have mentioned on previous occasions, I have been an LSU Basketball fan since the mid-1980’s. I have seen the glory days and those games that one could only shake their head in disgust. The Trent Johnson era was marred with head-shaking games. Many fans voiced their disapproval of my criticism of Trent Johnson’s job performance. Now, we are in the Johnny Jones era. The Tigers are 0-2 in SEC play, and many are anticipating my harsh criticism of these Tigers. These many people are quite wrong. When comparing these two coaches and their respective teams, it is comparing apples to oranges. The Trent Johnson-coached Tigers never saw any enthusiasm from their coach. Their offensive schemes were more of a one-on-one offensive street play. Defensively, they were flat-footed, slow, and unresponsive to dribble penetration. It was a total embarrassment to watch, in person or on TV.
Now, the Johnny Jones era is a tale of a different team. This coach, who knows the history of the program as he has been a part of the program’s history unlike Johnson, is working hard to restore the pride and passion of LSU Basketball. He has a clear goal of team and program success and wants to bring back the “Deaf Dome” to the Maravich Center. These Tigers are feisty defensively, with a press that caused much confusion to the #11 Florida Gators in the second half of Saturday’s game. Many people believe that a press is unsuccessful if it doesn’t result in a turnover. This is simply not true. If a press disrupts the offensive flow of an opponent, then it has been successful. A turnover is just some extra. While their press did result in some Gator layups due to break downs, it was better defense than has been seen in the previous years with Trent Johnson. Offensively, they are running plays with screen, cuts, and dribble penetration to the glass.
I am fully supportive of Johnny Jones and the job he and his staff are doing. The golden years are coming back. The Deaf Dome is coming back! Finally, we have a coach that loves LSU and is dedicated to its long-term success. Thumbs up, Coach Jones! Thumbs up!

Posted by graychef
Member since Jun 2008
28351 posts
Posted on 1/13/13 at 4:39 pm to
quote:

The Tigers are 0-2 in SEC play, and many are anticipating my harsh criticism of these Tigers.

Lol



Really, lol.
Posted by Harry Caray
Denial
Member since Aug 2009
18649 posts
Posted on 1/13/13 at 4:40 pm to


they'll be hella fun to watch next season, and won't be too bad this season, either.
Posted by 3xlsugrad
Member since Feb 2012
11037 posts
Posted on 1/13/13 at 4:46 pm to
I am also a fan of Johnny Jones as HC and think he will do good things at LSU. However when were the "golden years"? Pete Maravich's years? Rudy Macklin's tenure? The under achieving Chris Jackson, Stanley Roberts and Slackille O'Neal teams?
Posted by Tiger Ugly
Baton Rouge
Member since Jul 2008
14544 posts
Posted on 1/13/13 at 5:34 pm to
quote:

When comparing these two coaches and their respective teams, it is comparing apples to oranges.


I agree with that. Trent was a bad fit, clueless on how to recruite here and was at best an average bench coach. Johnny is an upgrade from Trent. I would imagine we could have hired any number of coaches who would have been for here, nonethelless CJJ is.

quote:

I am fully supportive of Johnny Jones


As am I. I was not in support of his hire, but when the deed was done, I got behind him and my team. I've been to all home games but one. I've been to several tip-off club functions, I've been to a practice and I went to T.J. Ribs for the first coaches show and welcomed him here and shot the shite with him.

quote:

Offensively, they are running plays with screen, cuts, and dribble penetration to the glass.
You're seeing a bit more sunshine and rainbows in our offensive sets than I am. When the competition has stepped up, the offensive has not. But he does take advantage of his biggest asset, Hickey...and tries at every opportunity for early offense tries to get him in the open court to do what he does best.

quote:

The golden years are coming back. The Deaf Dome is coming back!


Nobody wants to see that more than me.....nobody.
I've been going regularly to LSU games since 1973 and when I mean regularly, I mean through it all....Dale's last four terrible years, Brady's roller-coaster ride and Trent's strange visit.

And it's all this that tells me - forgive me if having lived through all that I wait till we actually accomplish something of consitent substance on the court before I pop the champagne. It will take more than an up tempo offense and one good recruiting class. Brady won tied for the SEC title and went to the Sweet 16 in his third year.

Not a knock on what CJJ has done to his point, just the sober reality of experience. The honeymoon is always nice but let's see what happens when the clothes come back on and real life starts.
Posted by Open Your Eyes
Member since Nov 2012
9252 posts
Posted on 1/15/13 at 10:40 pm to
quote:

These Tigers are feisty defensively, with a press that caused much confusion to the #11 Florida Gators in the second half of Saturday’s game. Many people believe that a press is unsuccessful if it doesn’t result in a turnover. This is simply not true. If a press disrupts the offensive flow of an opponent, then it has been successful. A turnover is just some extra. While their press did result in some Gator layups due to break downs, it was better defense than has been seen in the previous years with Trent Johnson. Offensively, they are running plays with screen, cuts, and dribble penetration to the glass.


What exactly are people watching when they make claims like this? Jones allows, or rather encourages, the team to run on offense at any opportunity, and the press has been effective just about every time it has been implemented. Those two things are different from last year and obvious improvements.

But half court sets on both ends of the court are terrible. What screens, cuts, and dribble penetration? The half court offense still looks mostly like last year; teams packing the lane leading to lots of dribbling and passing around the perimeter, then jack up a 3. When the 3's are falling of course it looks great, and it does help to stretch out the defense. But when they're not falling, as has generally been the case in the games we've lost, the only consistent offense that gets generated comes in transition.

The half court defense is terrible, definitely worse than last year. A lot of that has to do with having no depth in the post when O'Bryant gets in foul trouble, but it is what it is. As bad and frustrating as the teams were the last few years, one thing that could never be questioned was their team defense. That is undoubtedly worse this year.

Lets give Jones credit for what he's done well so far: doing a great job both recruiting and building excitement around the program. Maybe as as the talent on the team improves in the next few years he offensive and defensive sets will as well. But right now they are nothing to be excited about or give him credit for improving.
Posted by LSUsCRYSTALball
Member since Dec 2012
1709 posts
Posted on 1/15/13 at 10:48 pm to
coach JJ
Posted by SouthOfSouth
Baton Rouge
Member since Jun 2008
43463 posts
Posted on 1/16/13 at 8:59 am to
My favorite part about Coach Jones:




In almost every picture I take, he is standing up in the background. Coach TJ was always sitting down acting like he wasn't even watching.
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