re: Ol Daddy Dale still finds a way to have a “look at me” moment

Do you honestly think that if Will Wade had continued at LSU for another 15 years, he would have made at least 5 Sweet 16s? He would have far surpassed Dale, and probably not had his team shite the bed when they did manage to get to big games.

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LSU has 11 total SEC championships, Dale has 5 of those. They have 1 SEC tournament championship, Dale in 1980. 23 NCAA appearances, 13 by Dale 10 Sweet 16, 5 by Dale 6 Elite 8, 4 by Dale 4 Final Four, 2 by Dale

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Dale’s record was a great one. He came to LSU at the right time and he energized basketball. It didn’t happen over night, but step by step things improved to the point we were in the hunt for NCs.

Dale recruited some great talents, but never could put it all together. He drew from all over the country and the world. There was no one like him.

Over time Dale faded. He got in trouble with the NCAA. He stayed too long and let the program decline. When he eventually retired the program was in trouble with the NCAA and was about where it was when Dale was hired. Many never forgave him for all that.

How much influence did he maintain after he quit. Some accuse him of meddling. He has influential friends. Many believed he helped bring in Johnny Jones.

How much is he involved now? I doubt he is. He had the court named after him and still comes out to watch the games so it appears he still cares.

Dale has been a fascinating character throughout his stay in BR. He has made a difference on and off the court. He brought a lot of notoriety to LSU. He brought one if not the most well known sports personalities to BR in Shaq. Thanks to Dale we witnessed some great basketball and great talents to ever come to LSU.

Dale did some remarkable things with LSU basketball-- that 4 season stretch from 1977-78 to 1980-81 remains the most successful such period in LSU basketball history. And LSU fans LOVED it-- all the biggest crowds ever in the P-MAC occurred then.

Something changed in Dale around 1990-- his team was awash in talent, but he micromanaged games too much. To me the greatest disappointment came when he had Shaq for three seasons and the team never got past the second round of the NCAA tournament. Ridiculous, when you think about it. Those were potentially great teams that never jelled.