re: State of Basketball Program and I am a Trent Johnson supporter

I think we should wait until we are at least half way through the SEC schedule before we panic.

There are some good things about this team, but there are also some really bad things. I see what we are trying to do and I'm ok waiting it out if we can actually make a run.


And don't overlook the fact that Louisiana hasn't had a Glenn Davis, Brandon Bass, Tyrus Thomas, D.J. Augustine or Greg Monroe for a few years now and doesn't have another big recruit until Gathers. Johnny O'Bryant is coming out of Mississippi, but there are mixed reviews on him.

Like someone else said, We should be be making tournament play and challenging for championships in 2013 or there is a problem.

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Outside the big programs like UCLA, Carolina, Duke, Michigan State, Kansas etc. LSU has as much of a claim as anyone with some of the all time greats produced.

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Ya...so do football programs like North Carolina or Syracuse...or SMU..or TCU...or even some others...but they AINT bigtime football programs

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....but if we aren't competing for SEC by 2013.....red flag

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2013????

damn.

this team should compete next year. No questions asked.

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Football is a different story for many reasons, includign the fact that a few ridiculous exceptions (Cam Newton, Tebow) one or two players can't make you a contender. In basketball you only need a few. LSU has a solid tradition of success, I'd say as good as any SEC team outside of UK. LSU is a big school in state with a lot of athletes in a major conference and with all due respect (I have a degree too) is not on the same academic par as a Duke, Stanford, or Notre Dame. LSU has no excuse not to be successful.

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I can agree to an extent with alot of that...so what's the excuse for schools like Bama, Georgia, Tennessee (ya they have had a little success lately but not big-time), Texas, USC and probably a few im missing? I think there are just alot of schools that dont really get behind basketball until maybe when they get to the sweet sixteen. Dale Brown did change the atmosphere in Baton Rouge..i agree...i was at LSU in the early 80's...but it took getting to the final 4 in '81 to wake people up. Everyone loves a winner and the Assembly Center filled up in the 80's and early 90's because of that. It's just like how we had maybe 200 fans in Alex Box until the mid 80's and now we act like we were always a bunch of great baseball fans.

Its gonna be fun when people realize how good of a coach we have

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Although a USC is in the shadow of UCLA, Georgia is in a tough spot also in ACC country.

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Neither of those are legitimate excuses.

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All those schools should be and have the resources to be excellent, just like LSU

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True...but i was trying to point something out...

All of the above schools and some others i didnt mention...simply dont have basketball fanbases...except when the team gets pretty far in a tournament. That's just reality. And money talks. Yes...Bertman was able to turn LSU into a baseball powerhouse and money maker...but it didnt take long for Smoke to have Alex Box half empty. PM has turned it back around. But ive been to Tiger Stadium for LSU games and the Superdome for Saints games that were packed when both teams kinda sucked. Louisiana is simply a football state...that's the reality.

i think this program is in good hands. The "we'd be kentucky with a bunch of 1 and dones" is laughable b/c they get those type of players dang near every year. LSU gets 1 every 3-4 years and thats when we had good years. the rest of the years we were turrible. i think trent will build us into a bubble type team and bring in a 1 and done to give us a big time run at a final four.

The one thing that bugs me right now is Malcolm White never spins to his right. Good defensive centers can see this and take advantage of him for that.

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Wait, what? You'd take a 2-6 Ark State team with an RPI of 260 over a 6-2 LSU team with an RPI of 96? Gotcha. I'm glad you aren't a part of the NCAA selection committee.

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well said stro.....this guy has lost his mind

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Back in the 80's, the PMAC was packed to the rafters when Dale had the program rolling. There were students camping out on a regular basis. Consistency was the key though, LSU had a stretch of 10 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. You know what you were getting each season. Under Brady, LSU never made three consecutive NCAA tournaments. IF Trent can build a CONSISTENT winner, then the crowds and excitement will return to LSU basketball.

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I already addressed that...I was actually at LSU in the early to mid 80's...but also as a basketball fan...went to games during the 70's. Assembly Center was mostly empty until Hi C, Rudy Mac, Swat, E Martin, Cookieman etc got LSU to the final 4. And the 80's werent all good for LSU in football...but Tiger Stadium was always at least close to full. Now maybe after enough crap with coaches like Archer and Hallman...the fans started to stay home...but I dont think anyone can really argue that Louisiana isnt predominately a football state.