re: '12-'13 - Year in Review (Basketball)

Grades:

Johnny O'Bryant - (A) led the SEC in double doubles. He was a 1st team All-SEC selection. He led the team in points per game and rebounds per game. After starting the year slow, he really came on toward the end of the season. His turnaround was spurred by finally getting healthy, as well as his new-found ability to pass out of a double team.

Charles Carmouche - (A) came into the season as an unknown. He left as a shutdown defender and efficient scorer. He was third on the team in scoring and second in assists and steals. He shot 37.1% from three point range (2nd on team) and 67% from the free throw line (3rd on team). He will be the biggest loss of the off-season as the senior has run out of eligibility.

Anthony Hickey - (A-) scored 11.2 points (2nd on team) and led the team with 3.8 assists per game. He built an impressive 2.1 ast/to ratio and was third in the NCAA in steals at 2.9 per game. Unfortunately, Hickey was suspended on two different occasions. He also shot a measly 38.6% from the field and only 44% from the free throw line. At times Hickey couldn't miss, and at other times he couldn't make a basket to save his life. He was named to the SEC's All-Defensive team.

Andre Stringer - (A-) was brilliant this year. He hit 40.9% of his three point shots. He was the first Tiger to shoot over 40% (min 15 attempts) since Bo Spencer in 2008-2009 (Collins did this as well). Stringer also led the team with a 73.7% free throw percentage. He also played very pesky defensively and took on some taller shooting guards and gave them all they could handle.

Shavon Coleman - (B+) played the undersized power forward position about as well as you can. He rebounded well, scored in transition, and averaged nearly 1 block per game. He averaged 1.4 steals per game and was a vital part of LSU's press. He will bring senior leadership next season, but will probably come off the bench and play on the perimeter.

Malik Morgan - (B) scored 163 points as a freshman. He was at his best shooting off the pass or driving to the rim. His length and athleticism gave him the ability to get to the rim almost at ease. He was sometimes a step behind on defense and will need to work on his footwork.

Andrew Del Peiro - (B-) is the most improved basketball player I have ever seen. He played only 12 career minutes before the season, and averaged 13.6 minutes per game this season. He scored 13 points against Mississippi State and was able to give the Tigers a lengthy forward. He is destined to play professionally in Europe.

Eddie Ludwig - (C+) had his season cut short due to two concussions. The senior however struggled early in the season. It looked as if he was turning the corner making 7 of his last 11 shots of the season before hitting the bench. He took 6 charges in the 9 games he played in and always seemed to be in the right position to make plays. A great four year Tiger who will make way for the new regime of Tigers.

Shane Hammink - (C+) struggled in his first season at LSU. The freshman showed lots of promise later in the year coming in at the 4 spot, but his future is as a slashing three position from the perimeter. He had two double figure scoring nights and had 4 rebounds in 8 minutes against Arkansas.

Corban Collins - (C) shot remarkably well (12/26 from 3pt) but had trouble holding down the backup point guard spot due to some careless turnovers. Collins future probably lies in the backup shooting guard role rather than point guard.

Jalen Courtney - (C) was one of the few possible forwards to take advantage of Justin Hamilton leaving early. Unfortunately, he had trouble playing strong in the paint. Even at 6'9" he has some work to do getting his frame and body ready to battle with the bigs. He was an obvious team leader who led LSU in their pregame "circles" and had an obvious presence on the bench. While his role on the court was limited, his role as a motivator and leader was under-appreciated.

Johnny Jones - (A-) led LSU to a very impressive 19-12 season. There were however a couple "what just happened" moments. Losses to sub-200 RPI teams is unacceptable. LSU had two of them. However, He was able to succeed as a game coach and made some in-game situation decisions that directly led to wins. He was given a depleted roster and turned them into an NIT bubble team. LSU ended the year with their best RPI since 2008-2009 and he brings in a top ten recruiting class.



'12-'13 Synopsis:

LSU went 9-2 in out of conference and 10-10 in conference to end the season 19-12. Coach Jones was able to win the 2nd most games out of any LSU first year coach. LSU was able to finish in the top 90 in RPI and won some great games, including home games versus Alabama and Missouri. LSU was 1 game away from finishing 6th in the SEC regular season and likely 1 game out of the NIT Tournament.

Expectations were for LSU to finish the season with 15-17 wins, so LSU was able to do very well in finishing with a 61.3% winning percentage. LSU will be in much better shape come next season.