One is a 6-foot-4 shooting guard from Sarasota, Florida, who exhibits explosiveness with an ability to rise above the rim.
Then there’s the hometown product from Madison Prep Academy, another 6-foot-4 shooting guard with transition skills and outside range.
Finally, there’s the do-it-all, 6-foot-10 point-forward from Australia, who is the most publicized talent since Shaquille O’Neal stepped foot in Baton Rouge.
Three freshmen – Antonio Blakeney, Brandon Sampson and Ben Simmons, who are known by their self-proclaimed “Killer B’s” moniker – are looking to make the LSU basketball team a Southeastern Conference contender and national force to be reckoned with. With ESPN’s third-ranked recruiting class joining a solid group of returners, the hype surrounding the program has already surged to a near peak in early July.
Because college basketball has trended toward high-profile teams made up of “one-and-done” freshmen, the three LSU rookies understand this could be their only year playing together. But Simmons said the Tigers have enough experience already on the roster to make a run in the 2015-16 season.
“It’s a lot different for us because we have me, Antonio and Brandon,” Simmons said. “So, we’re younger, but we don’t have a full team of freshmen. We have a lot of experienced guys, and they’re going to teach us a lot at the same time. I think we all just have to buy in and chip in, and we’ll be fine.”
Simmons, the consensus No. 1 prospect in the country and 2015 Gatorade Player of the Year, is the headliner, who has accrued praise from national experts without ever playing a minute in college basketball. He’s been forced to live up to expectation since he was a sophomore in high school, moving from his hometown of Melbourne to play at prep-powerhouse Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida in 2013. Simmons, though, didn’t shrink to the attention, becoming one of the most dominant players in the country with a 28-point, 11-rebound clip in his senior year.
Simmons doesn’t model his game after any particular professional player but mentions Lebron James, Scottie Pippen and Magic Johnson as players he has studied. Once Simmons committed to LSU, it was easy to see his Lebron-like effect on the LSU program, paving the way for Blakeney and Sampson to follow or stay in Baton Rouge.
The signing of Simmons not only changed the outlook for the Tigers on the floor but spawned an LSU basketball marketing campaign, which he signed off on. Titled “25 is Coming” to signify his LSU jersey number, the LSU athletic department used Simmons’ arrival to promote season ticket sales on various platforms, which caused questions of whether the freshman was being exploited. But Simmons was grateful for the exposure.
“I’m definitely comfortable with it,” Simmons said. “It’s a great opportunity for me. It’s rare for someone to have that. I’m just blessed to be the face of the basketball program this year. Not everyone gets that opportunity. A lot of people look at it as a negative thing, but, at that same time, I’m going to school for free. I’m on a scholarship. So, they don’t need to pay me anything.”
Simmons may have been the biggest fish in the LSU recruiting haul, but Blakeney cemented the class as top tier. In fact, Blakeney, a Oak Ridge High School alumnus, was named Florida Mr. Basketball over Simmons this past season.
Blakeney, though, will have stiff competition in the LSU backcourt, joining senior guards Keith Hornsby and Josh Gray along with Sampson, junior Tim Quarterman and sophomore Jalyn Patterson, who played with Simmons at Montverde.
Despite the crowded position groups, Blakeney said he is looking forward to learning from the veteran Tigers.
“The biggest thing for me is to learn from them,” Blakeney said. “Keith has hit a lot of big shots and does a great job of coming off screens. All of those guys do good things, and I want to learn as much as I can from all of them. I feel I can take something from all of their games and put it into mine.”
Sampson may not get the attention Simmons and Blakeney get, but his signing pushed the group over the top. Sampson, the No. 1 ranked player in Louisiana and former high school teammate of Martin, was initially committed to St. John’s but reopened his recruitment after former Red Storm coach Steve Lavin agreed to part ways with the program.
With heavy recruitment from three California schools and Oklahoma State, Sampson decided to remain in Baton Rouge.
“He’s one of those guys that’s less heralded, but he still had the ability that a lot of the other guys have,” said LSU coach Johnny Jones. “That’s what is exciting for me to see him be able to rise up and play well in the situation, which he is very capable of doing.”
He, like Blakeney, will have to battle for playing time with the plethora of guards on the roster, but Sampson said he feels his greatest strength could be what he provides for his teammates.
“I’m a great facilitator, and I can create shots for my teammates,” Sampson said. “I believe I can score the ball pretty well, too, and I feel that I’m a good teammate on and off the court.”
The future of this recruiting class and the overall team has yet to be determined, but even with some inexperience across the board, Jones contended the freshmen have added an element that could bolster the Tigers’ prospects this season.
“You approach it with caution because were going to be extremely young and inexperienced in some positions,” Jones said. “There will certainly be some growing pains with this basketball team — but talented? Yes.”
You can reach James Bewers on Twitter @JamesBewers_TDR.

Gallery • 5 Photos

Javier Fernández

LSU freshman forward Ben Simmons (25) addresses the media during the basketball media session Wednesday, July 1, 2015 in the media room of the LSU basketball practice facility.