Re: Other News... I'm not about to put too much weight into this article, but some recent news seems to suggest that Kentucky is right there in the thick of things. http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060707/SPT0104/607070360/1015/SPT Some would have said that Kentucky and LSU were leading, and Oklahoma and Maryland were new to the party. Until the LSU fans wake up to what they've got down in PMAC, Kentucky is always going to compete with their "basketball school" tag to our "football tag". Too bad. LSU has had a better record of getting their kids in the pros of late, and I'm not so sure Jai is going to get showcased like he should be if he goes to Kentucky. Ask Joe Crawford, Rondo, etc. :geauxtige :bball: :champs: LSU IS A BASKETBALL SCHOOL. PACK THE PMAC.
UK will always be one of the top recruting schools no matter what LSU fans do. 60 years of being a top program has that effect.
Weekend after weekend, high school hoopsters hoop it up at the summer camps. This past weekend resulted in some more commitments and LSU still is in the wait and see mode. Much like last year when other schools like UNC picked up commitments early, it affected the candidates that LSU was hot for. Last year when UNC got Tyson Lawson committed at point, DJ Augustin probably looked harder at UT and LSU. LSU is still waiting in the game on several big names, and as folks sign elsewhere, perhaps the candidates will make their way to Tigertown... Leonard Washington, according to Rivals, back with LSU in the mix. http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=561041 Deandre Jordan, had a good weekend. http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/noaccess.asp?SID=910&script=/content.asp&CID=561073 No new word on Jai Lucas, other than talk of expanding his list. http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=561531 LSU continues to be on the list of others... Billy White, James Anderson, Kodi Augustus, Elgin Bailey, Marcus Simmons, Maurice Miller, Biko Paris, and Iasiah Rusher, to varying degrees of interest. Another big weekend ahead, with a tourney in Vegas, which I believe is the tournament last year that we found Ben Voogd. Expect Butch and Brady to be there in force! :geauxtige :bball: :champs: LSU IS A BASKETBALL SCHOOL. PACK THE PMAC!
According to Dandy Don, the Tigers got a basketball commitment from DJ Wright, a 6'7"-6'8" swing forward from... CANADA. So, this one, if substantiated, comes out of nowhere. But, I like it if Brady and Butch saw something in this kid, he's supposed to be an athletic, hard-working wing with a nice mid range shot (perhaps the next Tas'?). He comes somewhat well regarded in his home country, and has done well in some camps, from what I read. Here's more on the kid. http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2005/12/c0730.html (selection to All-Nike Canada team). http://hsnewyork.scout.com/2/534541.html http://hsnewyork.scout.com/2/533141.html (playing well at NY camp) In other news, some of our other newer prospects get some pub... Chris Barnes, a 6'8" GA forward, has it down to LSU, Florida and Memphis leading... http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=563982 Lavoy Allen, a 6'9" PA power forward, also has recently added LSU to his list. http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=563978 As expected, it appears that Brady and Butch were there in force at the Adidas tournament out in Las Vegas this past weekend. With the new names in the mix, perhaps it means others have cooled on LSU, although I'm still holding out hope for some TX signees (namely Lucas and Jordan). Regardless, I do think that making some offers to some hungry players, who are hustling out there and showing some effort might not be a bad thing, especially if we get a couple of early commits. :geauxtige :bball: :champs: LSU IS A BASKETBALL SCHOOL. PACK THE PMAC.
The best thing for Butch Pierre to do in recruiting these players is to make sure that Brady is out of town when he brings them to campus. It seems that ever recruit that talks to Davis decides to go elsewhere.
So, here's Randy Rosetta's and the Advocate's latest on some of the names. Apparently DJ Wright has not committed although he's planning a visit soon and we're the frontrunner. Also, his stats from summer tourney play are very impressive (which is kind of funny b/c he didn't grab headlines in the typical high school bball sites, see http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=564926 and http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=564916). 65% 3 point shooter? That's definitely a missing ingredient on Brady's teams. Kudos to Nikita Johnson for this find. Let's keep our fingers crossed. http://www.2theadvocate.com/sports/3434416.html Also, more news on Chandler Parsons, a FL swing forward, who seems to be high on us too. http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=46675&Sport=2 :geauxtige :bball: :champs: LSU IS A BASKETBALL SCHOOL. PACK THE PMAC.
Gillipsie's a good coach, but ???. That's strange, but I kinda got the feeling that something there was happening given new frontline players popping up in LSU's sights. Right now, A&M has little frontline, so maybe it came down to Jordan wanting to stay a little closer to home, play for an up and coming coach, and getting to play sooner. Regardless, A&M doesn't have a great record getting kids to the pros, and I'm not sure that Gillipsie's ever developed a big man, much less a lottery pick. :geauxtige :bball: :champs: LSU IS A BASKETBALL SCHOOL. PACK THE PMAC.
Gillespie is a good coach. aTm, while they do have Jones, Kavaluskas(sp) and Martellus Bennett, could definitely use some top-tier talent on the front line. I don't know why we continue to act surprised that Brady has trouble getting recruits outside of the BR area and foreign kids from the prep schools.
