Basketball program

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First off, I know that we are very young and still recouping from the John Brady era.

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Recover from the John Brady era?

You mean that disastrous decade that included only a Final four, Sweet 16, 3 SEC titles and 4 Western Division championships.

Guess if you repeat a lie often enough some people will believe it.

Due to the high attrition rates of the best college players(going pro one place or another) it is much more difficult to build consistant winners than it used to be. North Carolina this season is a prime example of how difficult it is to be consistant. One of the all-time great college basketball programs with two recent national titles, including last year, and they may well miss the dance this year. That being said, I do think TJ will have the Tigers contending for the SEC west every year beginning next year. That, for a football school like LSU , is realistic optimism. Maybe a top 25 finish every 2 or 3 yrs, occasional(like last season) SEC title, an NCAA win or two now and then. Those are realistic and attainable goals based on TJ's track record, the 2009 finish and the recruiting he has going for him now. Anything more than that(like the 2006 season)should be considered lagniappe IMO. This season is an abberation and the Tigers will get back to winning the majority of their games next year.

To get off the Brady/Johnson bickering and back to the original post, I'd say the new facilities will help out. It shows that the school is determined to make the basketball team successful.

We need a good coach and recruiter. It is still early in his tenure, but it looks like we may have found that in Johnson. He needs to keep the Blue Chip in-state players and pick a few that fit his system from the outside. Cut the attrition to a minimum and make sure we have depth year in and year out.

Next would be the fans. We need to get the PMAC back to how it was when it was given the nickname, "The Deaf Dome." The abysmal attendance this year hurts the reputation of our program. High school players want to play in front of packed, boisterous crowds. Of course, having a good team and packed crowds go hand-in-hand; ie give us a good team, we'll give you support.

I think putting a few players in the NBA will also help TJ out with recruiting. This may require taking a few one-and-done type players, but it helps the program overall IMO. Look at Calipari. He consistently puts big names in the NBA and players are flocking to him and his program.

Trent gets a pass for 2-3 years just like Miles gets a 2 year pass for kicking RP off the team. Both coaches should realize that their pass is up at the start of next year.

Trent Johnson is the truth and the light. It's obvious to anyone with a normal brain that he's going to do well in the future. This team lost its identity after last year, but it's not because Sir Trent of the Round Table is bad. He's going to bring the program back. With discipline, I think we'll be back up next year. Just my opinion though.