John Brady is hanging an "under construction" sign on his program. After losing three senior starters from a team that reached the NCAA Tournament, Brady will undertake a massive rebuilding job -- for the second time since taking over at LSU in 1997.
But unlike early in his career, Brady feels much better about his chances of building a consistent winner. The Tigers will complement their two returning starters with a recruiting class considered to be one of the strongest in the nation.
"This group coming in is as qualified and as talented as the group that just left," Brady said. "The only thing they lack is experience. Well, you can gain experience. A lot of times, you can't accumulate talent."
FRONTCOURT
Jaime Lloreda, who came to LSU last year as the National Junior College Player of the Year, was as good as advertised. A relentless worker on the boards, Lloreda averaged 12.3 points on a team dominated by the perimeter play of Torris Bright, Collis Temple III and Ronald Dupree.
Lloreda managed to finish second in the SEC in rebounds (9.0), offensive rebounds (3.27) and blocked shots (2.0), and he would have led the league in field-goal percentage (56.3) had he reached the minimum of five made per game.
"It took him some time to get acclimated to the SEC, but once he adjusted, he was great," Brady said. "He plays extremely hard, he's competitive, and he fears no one."
Lloreda finally will get some help on the inside. Brandon Bass, a 6-foot-8, 250-pound banger, should slide right into the starting lineup. Brady thinks that Lloreda and Bass could be "as good a pair of inside players as there is in the SEC."
The problem is depth. Beyond Lloreda and Bass, there's not much in reserve. Again, Brady must rely on his recruiting class -- Regis Koundjia, Ross Neltner and Darnell Lazare will all get an opportunity to contribute.
Lazare averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds on a state championship team, while Neltner was named Kentucky's Mr. Basketball. The sleeper of the class might be Koundjia, who caught Brady's eye a year ago at the adidas summer camp. Koundjia, from the Central African Republic, averaged 20.5 points and 8.4 rebounds at Laurinburg Prep in North Carolina.
"I thought he was one of the five best players in the camp, and I even thought he might be taken in the NBA draft had he entered his name," Brady said. "He has real long arms and can play three positions."
BACKCOURT
The surprise of LSU's backcourt last year was Xavier Whipple, who languished on the bench until Brady went looking for somebody to shake his team out of a five-game SEC losing streak. He turned to Whipple as his starting point guard, moved Bright to shooting guard and benched slumping sophomore Antonio Hudson. The Tigers went on a tear, thanks to improved ball movement and distribution.
"I'd like to say it was something I knew was going to happen, but I was just reaching for anything to get us going," Brady said. "Xavier was popular with his teammates, and when he started playing well and distributing the ball unselfishly, he just energized our team."
Whipple, now a junior, is going to get plenty of help from springy sophomore Darrel Mitchell and 5-11 freshman Tack Minor, a talented but volatile prospect from Houston.
Hudson, brilliant as a freshman two years ago, slumped last season. Those who know him say he didn't work hard in the offseason a year ago, and it showed in his play. "In retrospect, I think last year was good for Antonio," Brady said. "Now he's got something to prove, that his freshman year wasn't a fluke. He had a great summer, and I believe he's going to have a great junior year."
Dependable senior Charlie Thompson, who entered the program as a walk-on, will fill in the gaps. Tony Gipson is eligible again after sitting out much of last season with academic problems.
FINAL ANALYSIS
There's plenty of talent here. Most of it's young. That, however, won't keep the Tigers from contending in the wide-open SEC West. The key likely will be how quickly LSU's inside game develops. Lloreda will have to adjust to becoming a primary offensive weapon, and Bass and the other newcomers must be able to contribute right away.
"I really think the key to us winning is how these players bond, how the chemistry develops," Brady said. "I think we have the talent. It's the intangibles that will be the difference."
