In a game where veteran players Tasmin Mitchell and Garrett Temple combined for six points and seven fouls, two newcomers propelled the LSU men’s basketball team in its season opener. Freshman forward Anthony Randolph and junior college transfer guard Marcus Thornton combined for 46 points on 15-of-25 shooting in LSU’s 72-62 win against Southeastern Louisiana. In his official LSU debut, Randolph showed multiple flashes of the talent that made him a five-star recruit out of high school and one of the most hyped signees of the 2007 signing class. The Dallas native added 13 rebounds, six blocks and four steals to his 19 points. “[Randolph] was one of the most highly recruited players in the country a year ago, and Thornton was one of the most highly recruited junior college players in the country,” said LSU coach John Brady. “I said they would both have an impact on our team and certainly [in] the first game they have.” Brady said both Randolph and Thornton, who had 27 points, still have a lot of room for improvement in terms of adjusting to Division I-A basketball. “I wasn’t really surprised they did what they did,” he said. “That’s why we brought them in here – to do those things for our team.” The most impressive statistic of Randolph’s night might have been his first-half stat line. In the first 20 minutes, Randolph scored only four points but grabbed seven boards and blocked all six of his shots. Randolph said some of that balanced output was because of nerves. “Once the second half started, I realized it was just another game,” he said. “I just came out and played how I’m supposed to play and how the coaches wanted me to play.” Randolph said contributing in other ways aside from scoring is something he’ll have to get used to this season. “There’s just so many options to score,” he said. “I don’t have to exert myself as much [to score]. I can focus on rebounding, blocking shots and the defensive end. It’s a good thing to have.” Randolph did it all his senior season at Woodrow Wilson High School, averaging 26 points and 13 rebounds per game. Those numbers made Randolph a PARADE Magazine fourth-team All-American and No. 12 ranked player in the 2007 class, according to Rivals.com. When he came to LSU, Randolph was known more for his perimeter game than his prowess inside the paint, but he said his low-post game may be one of his strong points. “Once I get in the post I feel like I’m able to score in a variety of ways and dish it out to get my teammates to score,” he said. There were several instances against Southeastern Louisiana where the 6-foot-10-inch Randolph played the “point forward” position for the Tigers, bringing the ball up the court and helping call the offensive plays. There were other instances where Randolph’s inexperience showed. In the first half, miscommunication between Randolph and junior guard Terry Martin led to a turnover. Randolph also missed a layup and a dunk in the contest. “I have to learn to go to the rim stronger and just dunk everything,” he said. “I missed a layup. I should have dunked that, but that comes with experience. I’ll have time to learn that. I need to learn it fast.”
—Contact Tyler Batiste at [email protected]