A new era of LSU men’s basketball began Friday night in the PMAC.
No. 21 LSU, propelled by three highly-touted freshmen, defeated Southwest Baptist University from Bolivar, Missouri, 98-72.
“In this exhibition game I thought we got off to a good start,” said LSU coach Johnny Jones. “On the defensive end, I thought we were locked in. There are some things we can continue to work on. I’m excited about the guys that we have the opportunity to do it with.”
It their first home game, freshman guard Antonio Blakeney and freshman forward Ben Simmons put on a show.
Blakeney finished with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, four rebounds, three assists and one highlight-reel dunk.
Simmons, the Preseason Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, tallied 17 points on a slow shooting night (8-17 FG) in his first game in an LSU uniform, nine rebounds and one double-clutch dunk.
“It felt good to be out there,” Simmons said. “It was a little different playing out there. The rims are a bit different. It was my first time playing there, so it was different.”
But it was the lesser known of the freshman trio, freshman guard Brandon Sampson, who was the Tigers’ top performer.
Sampson, a Baton Rouge native and Madison Prep alumnus, started the game on the bench, but he made the most of his first appearance on the hardwood, finishing with a team-leading 19 points, converting seven of 10 shots from the field and 3-of-5 from three.
“I was just trying it knock it down,” Sampson said. “I knew I had to step it up either offensively or defensively, because Keith did both of those. Keith’s a very consistent shooter, so I have to step into his shoes.”
Sampson was alongside four other bench players, as LSU coach Johnny Jones played 10 men on Friday in an effort to find the bench depth that was missing last season.
“Brandon picked up where he left off over in Australia,” Jones said. “He was one of our top two or three guys over there in all five games. We know what he is capable of doing. As a freshman, to see him shoot the ball, defending hard and playing with the intensity level that he is doing, is encouraging.”
Known as the “Killer B’s,” the freshmen triad put together an impressive performance before the Tigers’ first official game on Nov. 13 against McNeese State in the PMAC.
The three combined for 52 of LSU’s 98 points, 15 of the team’s 33 rebounds and nine of LSU’s 21 assists in 71 combined minutes.
“[The freshman] were really poised,” Jones said when asked if the three rookies were nervous before Friday’s game. “They were excited about the opportunity to get out there and play tonight.”
Sophomore guard Jalyn Patterson, who started the game after senior guard Keith Hornsby underwent successful surgery this week, was the Tigers go-to shooter against SBU. He finished the first half 4-for-6 from three-point land but missed four attempts in the second half.
Blakeney, who met with the NCAA amidst a storm of recruiting violations that occurred during his official visit to the University of Louisville, said he is completely honest and cooperative with NCAA during the on-going investigation.
Blakeney summed up how he is handling the situation with one word.
“Basketball,” he said.
“When all those things were popping up, I would just get in the gym,” Blakeney said. “When I’m in the gym, that’s my tunnel vision.”
Blakeney said he didn’t respond to anyone about the situation once the NCAA began the investigation.
Blakeney briefly explained his meeting with the NCAA during post-game interviews.
“It was fine,” he said. “They asked me and I was honest with them and that’s pretty much it.”
“He did a tremedous job,” Jones said about how Blakeney is handling his off-the-court issue. “The people around him did a great job keeping him focused and in terms of supporting him. That’s a part of growing up and I thought he did a great job of handling it.”
You can follow Christian Boutwell on Twitter @CBoutwell_TDR.