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Changing perceptions Saban's spring attitude surprises LSU followers
Posted: Friday April 21, 2000 07:28 PM
By Lee Feinswog, Special to CNNSI.com BATON ROUGE, La. -- Nick Saban opened one of his post-spring practice media sessions last week by turning the microphones -- if you will -- on the media. The new LSU football coach sat down, looked at the late-afternoon gathering of scribes and television reporters, and almost grinned. "Well, how'd ya like practice today?" Saban asked. "I'm asking all the questions today." Someone mumbled something. "What'd you think about the quarterback situation?" Saban shot back. More coach-like responses. "Well," the coach asked, "can you guys make some of the comments on any of the players are doing outstanding out there?" If nothing else, Saban must really miss doing his radio show, the one he did in East Lansing as the football coach at Michigan State. "See, this coaching's overrated," Saban said with a laugh. "You guys know who can play and who can't." Saban, not renowned as a comedian in Louisiana, was having a good time. He seems to be really enjoying this spring, his first as LSU's 1.2-million-dollar-man. He replaced Gerry DiNardo, who was fired after back-to-back losing seasons followed three winning campaigns. They were the only winning seasons in 11 years for the Tigers, who would just as soon forget the decade of the 1990s. On Saturday, LSU fans get a glimpse of the future when the Tigers hold their annual spring game. Saban, meanwhile, is trying the same approach that worked for him en route to a 43-26-1 record as a head coach, the last five years at Michigan State, where he went 34-24-1. "I mean the reputation I have in Louisiana, all the stuff I've heard about myself, is not really how I was," Saban said. "So it probably seems like a change to everybody for what they expect. But I'm really the same as I've always been." What do you mean? "Oh, I don't know, that's mostly recruiting stuff, negative recruiting and stuff like that," Saban said. But as a coach? "Nah, I haven't changed any," Saban responded. "I'm probably doing a little bit more out there in terms of coaching all the time until we get some of the stuff implemented that we're doing because I think I understand it. Some of the coaches understand it, but if they see it taught, it might help them be able to teach it and be on the same page. But I actually enjoy doing that. I'm enjoying this spring practice as much as any because I am coaching the players a lot. So I might just keep doing it." He might also have been in a good mood because he was still fired up about Michigan State winning the NCAA basketball championship. Saban is best of friends with Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo and probably wanted the Spartans to win the national title as much as he wants LSU to turn things around in football under his watch. "It's a tribute to the program and a tribute to the coach," Saban said. "Tommy's done a great job with them. It couldn't happen to a better guy or a nicer guy." Saban said he spoke with Izzo the morning after the Spartans' 89-76 victory in the national title game. "I'm real happy for Tom and all the good friends we have at Michigan State," Saban said. "Especially the basketball team. Those guys are pretty close to the football team. Those three seniors [Mateen Cleaves, Morris Peterson and A.J. Granger] were there the whole time I was there. "You know, we recruited Cleaves as a football player, we recruited [Andre] Hutson as a football player, and to see those guys do well, I was really proud of the way they played, proud of the way they competed and proud of the way they represented themselves." Saban could have been in Indianapolis at the Final Four. Forget that with his $1.2 million salary he could afford the scalpers' prices outside the RCA Dome. If nothing else, he had connections for that one. Instead, he watched the game at home, admittedly a little nervous. CBS, already ga-ga over showing former Spartans Magic Johnson and Steve Smith and Izzo's boyhood buddy, San Francisco 49ers coach Steve Mariucci, would have had Saban in its sights. No doubt he would have been sitting with Mariucci. "[Tom] called and asked me to go," Saban said. But Saban preferred to lay low. "Someone would have shot me," he said with a laugh. "Plus, then they would have shot Tommy if they'd have found out he invited me." Saban did leave Michigan State in a hurry in a stunning move that happened in just couple of days after LSU first contacted him. Coming to South Louisiana has been quite an experience, but -- by all accounts -- a good one so far, despite uprooting his family. "People don't see the personal side -- which is the harder side -- with your family and kids adjusting to school," he said. "We rented a house for a while so they could come here and then we moved in our house a couple of weeks ago. So there are a lot of changes for you personally. "We like it. People have been extremely nice here. The hospitality has been fantastic. I haven't had a chance to meet as many LSU people as I'd like to." Saban has had more than his share of speaking engagements, visiting with many hardcore LSU fans. "They want a program," Saban said. "They want to win. We all want to win. But they want a program." Lee Feinswog is a freelance sportswriter based in Baton Rouge, La.
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