As the LSU men’s basketball team charges toward the season opener at the University of Massachusetts on Nov. 12, the freshmen of coach Johnny Jones’ first  recruiting class have impressed the veterans with their work ethic and tenacity at practice
FROM THE LAND DOWN UNDER
After spending a few months working with his Tiger teammates, freshman center Darcy Malone has noticed a wide range  of differences between how the game is played in his native Australia and in the United States.
Malone said one of the biggest differences is the focus of practices.
Malone said, “One of the things I’ve come to realize is that our training wasn’t so game-based. It was more skill-based back home. I think that is what I’ve missed out on, and the fact that we’ve been able to get so many games in and play against each other has been a big change for me.” 
Malone said getting acclimated to running Jones’ up-tempo offense with more athletic teammates has forced him to get in better shape.
Junior forward Johnny O’Bryant III said Malone has made great strides since arriving and has already surpassed former tuba playing center Andrew Del Piero as a basketball player.
“Darcy’s skill set at 7 feet is amazing,” O’Bryant said. “[Compared to Del Piero], Darcy is 10 times better, and that is no disrespect to Andrew. Darcy’s ability to put the ball on the floor and shoot the three is just unheard of  [for       his size].”
QUARTERMAN LEARNS FROM HICKEY
Freshman guard Tim Quarterman plans to make a name for himself on the defensive side of the ball, and he couldn’t have asked for a better mentor than junior guard Anthony Hickey.
Quarterman said despite their dramatic 6-inch difference in height, they match up well in practice because of their similar defensive schemes.
“We guard each other pretty much every day in practice, and really we did the same things in high school,” Quarterman said. “We pressure guards a lot and force them to the baseline. [In practice] I pressure him and he does the same thing back. He just lets me know when I make a mistake or I need to do something [differently].”
O’Bryant said even though he will likely never match up against Quarterman in the low post, he cannot ignore the freshman. 
“He is never scared of anything,” O’Bryant said. “He is talking to me, [senior forward Shavon] Coleman and [senior guard Andre] Stringer every day at practice, telling us that we are too old and this and that. He’s a fun guy who has a lot of heart and I admire that.”