re: What would it take for LSU to become a relevant basketball school?

Lol

Let's get coach K

Branching outside of the Dale Brown tree, and say beyond Joe Dean/MSU/Dixie Basketball camp ties(Brady, Pierre) this next time needs to be a priority. Sure, Trent Johnson like Brady could coach X/Os, but neither were highly charismatic to their players, nor elite recruiters. Missed on hiring UVa's Bennett imho. Outside of landing a rising star HC(probably couldn't keep him longterm anyways?), the best LSU could probably do is a solid HC like a Larranaga, Kruger, Howland,etc..type.

LSU fandom is as much to blame as anything, as LSU Hoops(sans Brown era circa 1979-1992) just doesn't get the loyal rabid support needed to recruit to a small 6M populace state on a national level.

LSU landed Pistol by hiring his dad, Dale Brown built it up organically, getting his first big fish in Rudy along with Abernathy, then all his following Parade AAs, now Simmons via Patrick.

Look how many fans support Iowa St at Hilton even in crappy seasons, yet LSU in an semi-empty PMAC has a much better track record of Final Fours, Sweet 16s, and All-Americans. Or the Dayton, Butler, etc..fanbases that eventually will the programs to sporadic highs. Even in the lulls in decades between greatness, schools like Marquette, Nova, Minny, Wisc, Mich, St John, NC St,etc..have Northern and Seaboard fans that show up and love hoops regardless of the caliber of the program as current.

At an LSU(Hell arguably even U-Fla with all their Donovan hardware), the rednecks and locals are Football crazed, the crowds are always proportionate to the current product at hand. And usually very late to come close to selling out until very late in the season, when all the hay is already in the barn(LSU in 2000, 2006, 2009). Only when with a Pistol, John Williams, CJ, Shaq or Simmons do the tix sell pre-season, and maybe the loaded deep 1979 and 1980 DB teams.

LSU Foots and Bases cast huge shadows, and La isn't Texas or Fla or Cali in populace, in relying upon mainly local talent, in trying to have excellence in a third sport. Where as at an Ind, Az, Duke, Kan, Syr, UNC, etc..it's the king program on campus that attracts AAs from all corners of the country.