Uncertainty still remains about who will coach LSU next season as the basketball season draws to a close. Since former coach John Brady’s termination Feb. 8, several names have bounced around LSU fans. One of the most popular names on fans’ lists is someone most Tiger fans are already familiar with – interim coach Butch Pierre. “I like Butch [Pierre],” said Ryan Lenaghan, business administration senior. “He’s better than Brady. I’d be fine with him as the head coach next year because of the work he’s been doing with, basically, the same talent Brady had.” Pierre coached on the college level as an assistant for more than 22 years before getting his first taste of head coaching. In his past eight games, Pierre has led LSU to a 5-3 record in the Southeastern Conference, more wins than Brady had in five of his 11 seasons as coach. At the Tigers’ final home game of the season this past Wednesday, several fans held signs in support of removing the “interim” title in front of his first name. “I like that he is an LSU man,” said Mark Hill, political science senior. “I saw a list with other coaches LSU was considering, and it was mostly no-namers. I like that LSU takes smaller names, and they build up the program.” Players seem to have rallied around Pierre as well. During the tumultuous period after Pierre assumed the head coaching position, several players endorsed the coach and said they want him to be their long-term coach. “We all want Butch [Pierre] to be our coach permanently,” said junior forward Tasmin Mitchell on Feb. 8. “I do. I’m going to go ahead and say it: I want Butch to be my coach.” If Pierre is not hired at LSU, fans already have a “short list” of coaches wanted to fill the position. One name that appears often is Virginia Commonwealth coach Anthony Grant. Grant was an assistant for Florida coach Billy Donovan for 10 seasons and perhaps is most famously known for defeating Duke in the first round of this past season’s NCAA tournament. “I’ve only seen his teams play once or twice, but his team plays with energy and the fans seem to like him,” said Alex Cobb, history sophomore. “LSU needs someone to get fans to come to the games.” Another name on fans’ minds is former Texas Tech coach Bobby Knight. Knight’s resume includes 28 NCAA tournament appearances, three national titles and 902 wins. “I’d love it if he coached here,” Lenaghan said. “I don’t know much about him, but I think he’s a bad ass coach.”
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