Sports aren’t simply contests of physical skill and ability. There is a game within the game that takes place inside the head of every player — the realm of smack talk.
On the LSU men’s basketball team, there are different takes on the effectiveness and pervasiveness of smack talk on the court.
Freshman forward Jarell Martin said he has dealt with opponents trying to play mind games with him as long as he can remember.
“Pretty much everybody I have ever played against has tried to find a way to get into my head or whatever,” Martin said. “Especially during AAU [Amateur Athletic Union] summer circuit.”
While they may be a nuisance to play against, a teammate who knows how to get under the opponent’s skin can be a useful tool to help win games, according to Martin.
“I just think [a trash talker] is just someone who is hungry and wants to do whatever they can to help their team win,” Martin said. “Mainly they will focus on getting the [opposition’s] best player out of their game.”
Martin isn’t the only player who holds extensive experience with mouthy opponents.
Senior guard Andre Stringer said he learned to brush off taunts from opponents at an early age in his hometown of Jackson, Miss., and that thick skin is a key to success in the college game.
“Especially in the hostile area I’m from, a lot of players build their game around trash talk and intimidation,” Stringer said. “There are those players [in college] who can’t really handle it, but I think the players who just let it go out the window and focus on their game are more likely to do better.”
That culture of trash talk doesn’t disappear during practice.
The Tigers are working to build the best LSU squad in recent memory out of a veteran core and a talented freshman class, and part of that process is a challenging practice atmosphere, which opens the door for teammates to rag on each other.
Freshman guard Tim Quarterman said he sometimes gives the older players a hard time during scrimmages, but that his taunts are never anything personal.
“They have age on us, but I try to tell them they can’t beat us,” Quarterman said. “It is just a lot of competing going on. They are the veterans, so us freshmen just like to go at them as hard as we can.”
LSU coach Johnny Jones said he is pleased with the progress the freshmen have made since arriving on campus and that the more they push the veterans in practice, the better the Tigers will be when the season arrives.
“The younger guys have come in and they have not tried to take a back seat to anyone, respectfully,” Jones said. “It has been good for our upperclassmen because it has forced them to improve, and they have really welcomed it.”