The LSU basketball season is on the horizon, and much has changed for the Tigers’ backcourt since the conclusion of their 2013-14 campaign.
The Tigers finished last season with a 80-67 defeat at the hands of SMU in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament, sending them home with a 20-14 record. The loss to the Mustangs was the first of a few losses for LSU heading into the offseason.
On May 13, the Tigers announced three-year starter
Anthony Hickey would not return to the team for the 2014-15 season, parting ways with the point guard in an effort to comply with the NCAA’s scholarship limit. Hickey averaged 9.4 points per game and 3.3 rebounds during his career.
Losing Hickey, who ultimately transferred to Oklahoma State, wasn’t the only substantial casualty for the Tigers’ backcourt. The team also lost four-year veteran guard Andre Stringer to graduation.
Stringer became one of the most successful guards in LSU history over his four-year career, finishing 20th on LSU’s all-time scoring list with 1,365 points.
The loss of both Hickey and Stringer leaves the Tigers with gaping holes to fill coming into the season. But sophomore forward Jordan Mickey said  he
believes the new faces in the backcourt can be just as productive, especially with the addition of junior UNC-Asheville transfer Keith Hornsby.
“Keith brings a whole other dimension, just being that fast and shooting the ball well,” Mickey said. “He’s able to go by a lot of guys. He’s able to stretch the defense out with his shooting ability. So he can fill the spot Andre Stringer left and possibly do better than he did. He can shoot the ball that good.”
Hornsby transferred to LSU after a successful sophomore season at UNC-Asheville in which he averaged 15 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. After the 2012-13 season, bigger schools began showing interest in Hornsby, and he ultimately decided to take an opportunity with the Tigers that forced him to sit out last season due to NCAA transfer rules.
Hornsby said it was difficult for him to sit out the season, but his ability to practice with the team taught him a lot about the kind of competition he will face during the upcoming season.
“I’m one year older now than I would have been last year as a junior, still having the junior eligibility,” Hornsby said. “I got a whole year to practice and learn how [LSU] coach [Johnny] Jones likes things to get done, and also play against some great people in practice. I was guarding Andre or [former Tiger forward] Shavon [Coleman] last year every day and that definitely helped me out because those are experienced guys in the Southeastern Conference, [like the] guys that I’ll be playing against.”
The biggest change the Tigers’ backcourt has experienced is their shift in height. Both Stringer and Hickey were less than 6 feet tall when playing for LSU, while the backcourt this season has an average height of 6-foot-1.
“Hickey and Stringer were both smaller guards, but just having [junior guard Josh Gray] and Keith and some bigger guards will definitely help us out on the defensive end,” Mickey said. “It definitely allows us to do more this year … We can switch a lot more screens this year just because they’re bigger guards, so I’m excited to see what we’ll be able to do.” 
Gray, a transfer from Odessa College, came to LSU after leading all junior college players in scoring with 34.7 points per game. The 6-foot-1 junior is expected to start at point guard for the Tigers, and Jones said he’s the purest point guard on the Tigers’ roster.
While the Tigers added many new pieces to the puzzle in their backcourt in the offseason, LSU is now faced with the task of finding a new leader for this revamped squad after losing both Hickey and Stringer. But Hornsby said the backcourt will be just fine.
“We have so many weapons,” Hornsby said. “Josh has tremendous speed while also having an ability to shoot. There’s just so many ways [the guards] can attack … I think we have a lot of weapons.”
 You can reach Jack Chascin on Twitter @Chascin_TDR.