Missing the player coach Johnny Jones called the team’s “quarterback,” the LSU basketball team will try to carry the momentum of a 5-0 start when it faces Chattanooga at 7 p.m. tonight in the PMAC.
Jones announced last Friday that sophomore guard Anthony Hickey is suspended indefinitely for a “violation of athletic department and university policies,” and said Monday the team is prepared to adjust without him.
Leading the nation with 4.4 steals per game and averaging 10.2 points, Hickey’s production paced Jones’ up-tempo offense that averages near 80 points per game.
“It’s always difficult anytime when you have one of your team members go down and are not available for you,” Jones said. “At the same time, it’s a great opportunity for someone else.”
Freshman guard Corban Collins and junior guard Andre Stringer are left to shoulder Hickey’s load according to Jones, something neither teammate finds to be a daunting task.
Collins, a 6-foot-3 High Point, North Carolina native, started the Tigers’ 75-50 win against Mississippi Valley State when Hickey was held out for disciplinary reasons, chipping in four points and two rebounds in 12 minutes.
“I’m just trying to work hard everyday and get better,” Collins said. “Since we won’t have Hickey out there, me and [Stringer] are just doing what we can.”
Stringer registered a double-double in the rout of the Delta Devils, coming off the bench to score 16 points and grab 11 rebounds.
Running the point will not come as a culture shock to Stringer, who ran the team in some games under former coach Trent Johnson in his slower, half-court offense.
“I have to take advantage of pushing the ball a lot more,” Stringer said. “With our team now, we have a lot of movement and we have a lot of guys who can put it on the deck.”
Jones praised Chattanooga (2-6) as a “good test” for the Tigers, citing the second game of their season when the Mocs had No. 9 Kansas down by as many as 12 in the second half at Phog Allen Arena.
Expecting a considerable amount of rust from his bunch after 11 days removed from competition, Jones said tonight’s contest will be .
“We haven’t had an opportunity to not only play, but really not having full scale practices with everybody being there,” Jones said. “It’ll be challenging, but we’ll be looking forward to it.
Junior forward Z. Mason paces the Mocs, leading the team with 11.0 points per game and 7.1 rebounds.
The Tigers will counter with junior forward Shavon Coleman, who has led the Tigers in scoring in three straight wins, pouring in a team-leading 17.4 points per game.
Chattanooga has considerable Louisiana flavor, with two local freshmen guards, Gee McGhee and Casey Jones, projected in its starting lineup.
McGhee, a Baton Rouge native and Redemptorist graduate, averages 9.9 points per game while the Jones, a New Orleans native, chips in 4.4 points.
“Players always want to play well in front of their hometown fans and their families,” Jones said. “That’s something that we have to make sure that we guard against and know that coming in.”
