Everybody relax, this is all part of the plan.

Saturday’s 75-70 loss to Kentucky dropped the LSU men’s basketball team to 1-5 in Southeastern Conference play, which has the Tigers in the basement of the league.  

That sounds bad, but this season was never supposed to be much more than that.

When LSU coach Johnny Jones took over after last season, he said he had a plan to turn the program around. That plan never involved the Tigers being good this season.

He had a couple of good sophomores to build around in guard Anthony Hickey and forward Johnny O’Bryant III, but besides that, Jones inherited a flawed team from former coach Trent Johnson.

Aside from Hickey, O’Bryant and junior Andre Stringer, no one on this roster fits with the up-tempo, run-and-shoot offensive attack Jones is trying to install.

That problem is compounded by the learning curve that comes with switching to Jones’ offense, which is pretty much the opposite of the conservative, slow-paced style the team played under Johnson.

The roster is also missing the quality size and depth necessary to win in the SEC.

The man is not a miracle worker. Expecting this team to be better than it is right now is unrealistic.

If you find yourself frustrated with this season’s Tigers, then you missed the boat on what this season is all about.

Be patient.

Since Jones took over, the plan has always been to build for 2013-14 and for the seasons after that. Despite this season’s struggles, that plan is still on schedule.   

The Tigers’ four current leading scorers are set to return next year, and the only threat to that is Hickey “Honey-badgering” himself out of the program.

Despite the returners, the real reason to preach patience is the recruiting class Jones has amassed during his first season.

According to ESPN, Jones currently has the No. 11 recruiting class this season centered around five-star forward Jarrell Martin. The Baton Rouge native and Madison Prep Academy product is ranked as the No. 15 recruit in the country.

Throw in two more Top-100 recruits in forward Jordan Mickey and guard Tim Quarterman and you begin to see Jones’ plan a little more clearly.

If this initial class is any indication, Jones is the best recruiter LSU has had since John Brady put Glen Davis and Tyrus Thomas on a court together. That team made a Final Four run, and with a front line of O’Bryant, Martin and Mickey, Jones’ 2013-14 Tigers would be built in a similar way.

This year is a rebuilding year. It will not be pretty from here on out, and there is no way around that, except to wait it out.

Jones is building something, but we all have to be patient and wait to see what happens next season. 

If the plan works and Jones puts LSU basketball back on the map, we will all forget about 2012-13 pretty quickly. 

Rome wasn’t built in a day. In 2007, Nick Saban was 7-6 in his first season at Alabama. How long ago does that feel?

James Moran is a 20-year-old mass communication junior from Beacon, N.Y.