The season has ended for all but a handful of men’s college basketball programs, and LSU fans need not worry about who cuts down the nets, but who signs the dotted line. LSU’s head coaching position is officially open, and while many will want a bit of new blood after the disappointing end of the John Brady era, interim head coach Butch Pierre has more than proven himself as the best option to fill the vacancy. Pierre’s 23-season career gives him a great familiarity with the Southeast. He played and graduated from Mississippi State and has coached across the region, spending time with Mississippi State, Kentucky State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Charlotte and LSU. As an assistant coach, he helped the Ragin’ Cajuns to two Sun Belt Conference titles and was on the coaching staff of a Charlotte team that defeated Georgetown in the 1997 NCAA Tournament. If anything, Pierre has proven his value as a recruiter. While at Charlotte he helped the 49ers land a top-10 recruiting class that paved the way to the postseason. Since coming to LSU, Pierre has been responsible for the signings of Brandon Bass, Glen Davis and Tyrus Thomas. Pierre helped bring in a class in November that is currently ranked No. 20 in the nation – just behind superpower Duke and ahead of Big East heavyweights Syracuse and Connecticut. Despite the upheaval caused by Brady’s firing, he has managed to keep all four members of the class, including four-star center J’mison Morgan. Let’s not forget about the players that are already here. Pierre is intrinsically linked with a talented team that could retain three NBA-level players in Marcus Thornton, Tasmin Mitchell and Anthony Randolph. Pierre is not only Mitchell’s coach but his godfather as well. And Pierre’s fate may very well decide the future of Randolph, who has recently been garnering serious interest from NBA scouts. After the Tigers’ season-ending loss to South Carolina in the SEC tournament, Randolph commented on the role Pierre’s status will play in his future. “Coach Pierre has been a great mentor to me on and off the court,” he said. “Yeah, it’s going to affect my decision.” Pierre is indispensable to the program. He has the loyalty of LSU’s current roster and the trust of a promising freshman class. The only knock against his resume, despite a track record of success at every place he’s worked, is a lack of head coaching experience. But Pierre’s inexperience did not stop him from leading the Tigers to their longest winning streak of the season and their best performances of the conference season. After Brady’s firing Feb. 8, Pierre took over a team that was 1-6 in Southeastern Conference play. He led the Tigers to a 5-4 record to finish the regular season, with wins against two-time defending national champion Florida and eventual SEC tournament champion Georgia. All four of LSU’s losses under Pierre were to NCAA tournament teams – Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas and Mississippi State. Three of those losses were by less than 10 points. It all makes me wonder what could have happened if Pierre had not inherited the hole his predecessor dug for him. Pierre’s inexperience could serve as the breath of fresh air so many want. It’s true that he is no new face around this program, but he would be starting a new phase of his career. Both his resume and his half-season of work point toward success. He is very experienced on the recruiting trail and has an established reputation and recruiting base that no new hire could hope to match any time soon. For LSU fans hoping for slightly more relevancy next season, the best bet at keeping this year’s team intact is to retain a coach that has an established relationship with the team. Hiring Pierre could also be a victory for LSU in the ever-present issue of diversity among college coaches. Of the 73 programs that comprise college basketball’s six power conferences, 17 employ black head coaches. Only one of those men coaches in the SEC – Georgia’s Dennis Felton. Pierre would be the first black head coach in the history of LSU basketball. LSU Athletic Director Skip Bertman may share my sentiments, or he may be discussing contract terms with VCU’s Anthony Grant. One thing is certain: Butch Pierre will be a big gain for a program in need of a head coach, and if LSU doesn’t see that, it will be the Tigers’ loss(es).
—-Contact David Helman at [email protected]