Micah Bedard: You cut off the dreads this season. How much do you miss your hair?
Johnny O’Bryant III: I’ve gotten used to it. I really forgot I had it until I see a picture of me with it. I don’t really think about it too much.
MB: Has Andrew Del Piero ever dunked on you in practice?
JOB III: Not that I remember. I think he might have tried to and it bounced out or something, but he never really caught me.
MB: Who do you think is the best team in the NBA right now?
JOB III: The [Miami] Heat, but I’m a [New York] Knicks fan.
MB: Do you think anyone will ever reach Michael Jordan’s level?
JOB III: I just think Jordan is on his own level. LeBron [James] is his own player; Kobe [Bryant] is his own player. Championships do speak for themselves. Jordan has more than both of those guys.
MB: What’s your opinion on the one-and-done rule and how it has affected college basketball?
JOB III: Growing up, I saw so many powerhouse basketball programs like Georgetown and Syracuse. I definitely think when you see teams like Kentucky that gets one-and-done guys all the time, you think about if they would stack the team with the players they bring in, they would probably be amazing. But it has its positives and its negatives.
MB: You have 13 double-doubles this season. Would you be a little disappointed if you weren’t First Team All-SEC?
JOB III: It’s not really up to me. I’m just going to keep playing as hard as I can and try and get these wins for my team. So wherever I fall, I fall.
MB: Who’s a player in the NBA, past or present, you really model your game around?
JOB III: I look at the type of guys like David West, Al Jefferson. They can do a bunch of different things on and off the block and in the midrange game.
MB: From year one to year two, what do you attribute to your improved conditioning?
JOB III: The mindset. Last year, having to share minutes with Storm [Warren], Malcolm [White], Justin [Hamilton] and Eddie [Ludwig], it was really tough getting in and out of the game and not being able to get into a rhythm. This year, I came into a team where I had to take up most of the scoring load, the rebounding load, blocking shots. It’s just totally different. I had to become a tougher player.
MB: Who are some players and teams you’ve seen at the college level this season that you can appreciate their style of play?
JOB III: I like Missouri, the way they get up and down. [Phil] Pressey and what he’s able to do with the ball and the way they’re able to shoot. I like Boise [State] too. They aren’t big at all, but they’re a tough team. Their guards shoot the ball well and they play pretty hard.
MB: Why should fans get excited for the future of LSU basketball?
JOB III: The recruiting class coming in and the things coach Jones is doing with his program. He’s getting guys in here and guys are starting to like LSU, fans are starting to get back in the seats. Things are just happening. If I was a fan, I’d definitely be excited.
Micah Bedard is a 22-year-old history senior from Houma.
A new feature we’re implementing this semester at The Daily Reveille is the “LSU Athlete of the Week.” This week, columnist Micah Bedard went one-on-one with LSU men’s basketball sophomore forward Johnny O’Bryant III.
In future weeks, the nominations for athlete of the week will be announced on “Out of Bounds” from 6 to 7 p.m. Sundays on 91.1 KLSU. You can vote at lsureveille.com/sports.
