The LSU men’s basketball team will be sponsoring a block party for the student body this season, and the grand marshall of the event will be freshman Jordan Mickey.
Mickey, the 6-foot-8-inch forward and one of the prized pieces of the Tigers’ No. 13 recruiting class, had a memorable debut to his LSU career, blocking eight shots in the exhibition win against Xavier (N.O.) and the Tigers don’t plan to stop there.
“First thing I learned to do was play defense,” Mickey said. “My dad always told me, ‘If you want to stay on the floor, rebound and play defense.’ So it’s something that has stuck with me throughout the years.”
And new rules instituted in college basketball this season distinguishing a block from a charge have made it easier for big men to challenge players at the rim rather than taking penalties, something that will help Mickey throughout the season, said LSU coach Johnny Jones.
“It helps out a lot and should lead to a lot of blocked shots,” Mickey said. “Because when guys come to the hole, they don’t really have anywhere to go; they can’t really look for a bailout call.”
Mickey sports a 7-foot-3 wingspan and uses his length and athleticism to influence shots on defense.
Junior forward Johnny O’Bryant IIIsaid when Mickey came to Baton Rouge he was more advanced on the defensive end than he was when he came in as a freshman in 2010.
LSU played the 6-foot-5 Shavon Coleman significant minutes at power forward last season and the Tigers’ increased size could lead to more blocks on the season.
Having big guys with the ability to block shots will help erase any mistakes the perimeter guys make on opposing players driving to the basket, said junior guard Anthony Hickey.
“We feel like we have the guys quick enough to stay in front of anyone,” said senior guard Andre Stringer. “But everyone makes mistakes and it’s great knowing you have guys like Mickey, Johnny and Jarell [Martin] to erase some of those mistakes.”
Those blocked shots also lead to easy points in transition.
LSU scored 12 fast break points in the game against Xavier (N.O.), many of which came off Mickey’s blocked shots.
“Whenever we get a blocked shot, it helps us get points,” Hickey said. “It’s all about working together and turning plays on defense into plays on the offensive end.”
Going against the increased length in practice has also helped the backcourt players improve their finishing around the rim, Hickey said.
Stringer said the backcourt players have worked on shooting floaters just a little higher in practice to avoid the wrath of a Mickey shot block. That wrath could lead to opposing players being hesitant to go into the lane to score points, the Gold Rush only scored 22 points in the paint against the Tigers.
“I think just having those guys back there will keep a lot of guys out of the lane,” Stringer said. “There’s going be to a little doubt at the back of a lot of players’ minds after they get their first shot blocked.”