Why Doesn't LSU Basketball Have National Appeal

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Basketball will probably always be the third sport at LSU. Competitive some years, but never dominant.

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you realize that lsu was one of the best in the sec every year for about 15 years from the late 70's to early 90s? they were one of the national programs that everybody kept an eye on. its not like that can't happen again.

I never understood why the SEC doesnt dominate in basketball recruiting like it does in football. The athletes are from the same demographic. Or do all the best players just leave the area? (KY the exception)

If anything the Athletic Department has shown more emphasis on basketball in recent years than in the past 20 years.

Renovated the entire PMAC
Didnt accept mediocrocy- Fired Brady
Hired a proven coach
New practice facility

IMO, the future for LSU basketball looks great!

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Basketball will probably always be the third sport at LSU.

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there was a time when basketball was first. and we don't need to rank football, baseball, and basketball, we can go out and support our LSU student athletes regardless of what sport they play or the overall status of the program, but fickle front running LSU fans can't seem to do that.

The difference is Dale Brown. ppl can dispute his coaching ability, I won't get into that pissing contest. But their is no denying the appeal he had on a national level. The media absolutely ate the guy up, an LSU basketball went along for the ride.

cause they stink?

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Why Doesn't LSU Basketball Have National Appeal
as far as recruiting is concerned like in the late 80's. It puzzles me that LSU was in the mix of lots of All Americans back then.

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I can think of two things that impacted the bb program.

Lester Earl brought the program heavy sanctions with his accusations. Many years later, he recanted and said that he'd lied to the NCAA. The sanctions spooked top recruits and they went elsewhere.

Dale Brown, as a result of LSU's downfall, "retired." I doubt that anyone could have brought in top talent then. John Brady was hired and was able to bring in several top recruits over the years, but couldn't "sell" the program like Dale Brown.

In addition to being a coach, Dale was a great publicist. He was often in the news, sometimes for audacious comments, like seeing Bobby Knight in a restaurant and saying that if Knight came by him, he'd trip Bobby, jump on him, and beat the hell out of him. On his vacations, he attempted to find Noah's ark once, and to meet with then head of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev and achieve world peace while recruiting young Russian star Arvidas Sabonis.

Dale sold LSU's bb program on a national and on an international level. That's a hard act to follow.

Having only 3 good teams in 60 years will do that.

Maravich is dead. Shaq is gone. Thomas is gone.

Most years, LSU is an afterthought in hoops.

National appeal requires either a very very good team or a very interesting player.

LSU presently has neither and has no national appeal.
Previous posters comments about the coaches is why the past was as it was. Here we are now. Trent has a nice class coming in.

Its not true that its only football.
LSU baseball is hot. LSU track is hot.
LSU was actually among the top 25 the past year, in the
"overall sports program" category, FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER.
North Carolina won for the first time.
Stanford was 2nd. Stanford won the previous 17 years in a row.
Multiple national championships in men's and women's sports.
golf, tennis, swimming. LSU plays all those. Stanford wins the national championships. Tiger Woods? McEnroe?

Louisiana is among the top football states, per capita.

Louisiana is NOT among the top 10 basketball states.



You cant have EVERYTHING. Louisiana is very hot for baseball, for instance.