SEC Basketball Preview: #6 LSU Tigers
By Jacob Rude
2013-14 Season Results: 20-14, 9-9 SEC, 7th in SEC, 80-67 loss to SMU in second round of NIT
Key Losses: Johnny O’Bryant III, Anthony Hickey, Malik Morgan, Andre Stringer, Shavon Coleman
Key Returnees: Jordan Mickey, Jarell Martin
2014 Recruit Class: Elbert Robinson (#60 overall), Aaron Epps (#21 center), Jalyn Patterson (#33 point guard), Josh Gray (unranked)
Rankings based on ESPN
LSU had a great chance last season to make a name for themselves. Johnny O’Bryant was the man in the middle, averaging 15.4 points and 7.7 rebounds a night. Andre Stringer was hoisting from deep. Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey were filling in the other forward spots.
However, all that amounted to a somewhat disappointing appearance in the NIT. Bad turned to worse when, after O’Bryant declared for the draft, Anthony Hickey and Malik Morgan would not be with the team this season, transferring to Oklahoma State and Tulane, respectively.
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Add in the graduation of Stringer and Shavon Coleman and LSU lost five of their top seven scorers, a huge amount of production to replace. The silver lining is that both Mickey and Martin will be back this year, turning down the NBA for another year in Baton Rouge.
With their return, head coach Johnny Jones will have one of the best front courts in the conference. Both are potential All-Conference talents, with Mickey finding himself on the preseason All-SEC First Team. Together, they averaged 23 points, 12.5 rebounds, and nearly 4 blocks a game last season, averages that will have to go up for them to be competitive.
The big question marks for the Tigers, however, is essentially everyone else. One of the most notable players joining the Tigers is Josh Gray, a JUCO transfer. Gray averaged 33.8 points a game in junior college last year and is looking to make the step up to the big leagues this year.
Gray appears to be on the odds on favorite to start the season at the point guard spot, but freshman Jalyn Patterson could have something to say about that down the road. However, depending on how the rest of the team produces and how well Gray’s scoring adapts to the Division I level, we could see both players starting together in the back court, especially given the size LSU has in the front court.
Speaking of that size, Jones landed one very (literally) big recruit in 7’1″ Elbert Robinson. The center was ranked a four-star prospect across every scouting service and will likely come in from day one as starter. With him manning the paint, the LSU front line may be one of thee only ones in the nation who can compete with Kentucky.
The reason LSU comes in so low is the large amount of question marks. There is a LOT of production to replace and a lot of holes to fill. While Martin and Mickey return, they still are just sophomores themselves, meaning they’ll have learning curves too.
If Jones can get this team to play up to their potential, he could have team that contends with Arkansas, Auburn, and others toward the top of the SEC. However, I’m not sold on his ability to quickly replace all that was lost. This will be a talented team who likely will get hot down the stretch and could make a late season push into the tournament.