With Valentine’s Day finally here, millions of men are primping and preparing to look especially dapper tonight.
The LSU men’s basketball coaches practically scoff at the lack of commitment.
Tigers coach Trent Johnson and his coaching staff have been sporting suave sweater vests on the bench every game this season, showing a keen fashion sense in a sport known for sweatpants and sneakers.
“The vests are really just about being comfortable,” Johnson said. “You look at some great coaches like Dick Bennett or Bobby Knight, and they wore sweaters. It’s not meant to be a fashion statement.”
Johnson and his staff have traditionally rocked the coat-and-tie look, but this season’s switch to Nike’s specially-made sweater vests has provided fashion versatility through playful color combinations.
Using seven colors, more than a dozen shades and the outfit’s two-tier design, the coaches have trotted out at least 19 different looks through 24 games.
There’s the white-on-lavender look. Classic purple sits atop a pastel yellow. Lavender purple blends beneath a gray vest.
Those are just a sample of the options, and Johnson said he usually leaves the tough attire choices to an assistant coach.
The smooth style hasn’t gone unnoticed. 
And The Valley Shook, SB Nation’s LSU blog, begins its live tweets of every Tiger game with an update on the coaching staff’s color combinations.
Opposing fans consistently tweet about the unexpected coaching uniforms.
Johnson said he’s heard the social media interest but only cares about commentary from within the LSU family.
“The only feedback I’ve gotten is from Annie Alleva — [Athletic Director] Joe Alleva’s wife — who thought they looked good,” Johnson said. “She approves, and my wife accepts it. If it was up to [my wife], I’d be in a suit and tie every day.”
Johnson is no stranger to acclaimed attire. He was named one of Forbes’ 10 Best-Dressed College Coaches in 2008 while he was at Stanford and claimed a similar honor last February from Lost Letterman, a college sports fan site.
“It’s so funny to see those things,” Johnson said. “I’ll look nice with a tie to go to church or to speak publicly, and people will tell my kids that ‘Daddy is like GQ.’ They respond with, ‘No, he’s not, Mom just told him to wear that.'”
While Johnson said he prefers casual gear, Tiger players revealed that their coach has an affinity for high-end, fresh kicks, like Nike Air Force 1s.
“Coach J likes to think he has swag, but he’ll clown around with it too,” said freshman forward Johnny O’Bryant III. “He’ll put on a practice jersey, but match some sick sneakers with it.”
Players also say this season’s new look fits the staff’s animated attitude.
“They’re just adding their own swag to it,” said senior guard Chris Bass. “It’s cool and looks good. It’s a nice change. Coach Johnson could get mad and be quick to take the jacket off when they wore the suits.”
With many color combos, the possibilities remain boundless for the staff. But one color — purple — was a unanimous preference among players and coaches. 
Johnson admitted the purple had good vibes early in the season, Bass said he liked the lavender with the brown sweaters and sophomore guard Andre Stringer preferred the classic LSU purple over white.
Despite the love for purple, some players still jumped at a chance to outfit the coaches in a more flamboyant design.
“I would have the coaches wear a checkerboard purple-and-gold design,” O’Bryant said. “But it would be on a three-piece suit. They’ll look like tricked-out Temptations soul singers. That’s my dream.”
 
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Contact Chris Abshire at [email protected]