Throughout John Brady’s tenure as the LSU men’s basketball coach, the presence of a dominant post player on the team has become customary. Players like Stromile Swift, Brandon Bass, Tyrus Thomas and Glen Davis are just a few who have carried on the low-post tradition during Brady’s 10 seasons as coach. Although the Tigers have a few low post options on the 2007-2008 roster, Brady said fans can expect much more perimeter-dominated play this season. “We all knew coming in to this season our team will have a different look based on the players we lost,” Brady said Thursday at the Tigers’ annual media day. “This team will be a bit different from the teams you have seen in the past years. We are moving from [a] forward-dominating team to a perimeter-oriented team based on the players we have returning.” Four players are gone from a Tigers team that ended this past season with a 17-15 overall record, a 5-11 record in the Southeastern Conference and a postseason absence for the first time since 2000-2001. Davis departed for the NBA Draft and was selected in the second round by the Seattle Supersonics before being traded to the Boston Celtics. Senior Darnell Lazare graduated, and former players Magnum Rolle and Ben Voogd transferred to Louisiana Tech and Oregon, respectively. With five newcomers and only two players that weigh more than 220 pounds, Brady said the four things he tries to instill in every team – defense, rebounding, limiting turnovers and getting a quality shot – will not change this season. “Those four things are sound, and those four things remain constant whether you slow the ball down or you try to run it in to the floor,” he said. “Whatever the case may be those four things are fundamentally sound, and we have tried to have these qualities in every team I have coached.” The Tigers experimented with their new fast-paced, perimeter-oriented offense this past Labor Day weekend. LSU took part in a Canadian exhibition tour in September and defeated its three opponents by an average of 31 points. Junior college transfer and Baton Rouge native Marcus Thorton led the Tigers in scoring all three games, averaging 26 points a contest. Thorton, who hit 11 of his 25, 3-point attempts during the Canadian exhibition, said the Tigers’ new perimeter offense should continue to suit him and the team well. “That’s what I try to bring to the team,” Thorton said. “That’s what I’ve been good at my whole life. We should put up points – fast.” Junior guard Garrett Temple, who didn’t play Labor Day weekend because of an injury, said with so many new players, the team’s chemistry in Canada was exceptional. “Even though I wasn’t on the court, I was kind of like a fourth or fifth coach,” Temple said. “I loved what I saw on the court. People were just being really unselfish.” Junior forward Tasmin Mitchell said this year’s team is the most talented he has seen in his three seasons at LSU. “We’ve got big men that can go out onto the perimeter,” Mitchell said. “[Brady] realizes that, so we’ve got a new offense that allows everybody to play on the perimeter. He’s adjusted to players … I really like what he did.”
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