The fifth floor of the LSU Athletic Department seemed to offer greater perspective than the bowels of the Greensboro Coliseum for LSU coach Trent Johnson.It has been five days since North Carolina eliminated Johnson’s Tigers from the NCAA tournament. But the first-year coach was in a better state Wednesday than he was last Saturday. “It’s taken me a while to bring closure to the Carolina game, because we were in a great situation,” Johnson said. “The guys played extremely well and extremely hard — probably as good basketball as we’ve played all year long.”The Tigers’ coach wasn’t the only one who noticed. Sports Illustrated’s Joe Lemire caught a glimpse of the Tigers during their stint in Greensboro, N.C. He said they represented the Southeastern Conference very well.”Even if the SEC had a down year, a major conference champion kind of deserves a better seed than what [LSU] got,” Lemire said. “So they kind of got a raw deal, but they did an admirable job giving North Carolina a scare … They forced Roy Williams to take a timeout after a run, which he hates to do.”Such praise usually draws little or no response from Johnson, who says, “There’s not silver lining to losing.”But Johnson was willing to look back on a 27-8 record and a 10th SEC championship — if only for an hour — with the season behind him.”I feel a sense of accomplishment for [the team],” Johnson said. “This team maximized their talent. They overachieved … and there’s a sense of satisfaction for them, but the grind for me continues. I know how hard it is to compete at this level.”LSU starts its 2009 season in less than a week. Johnson said he will meet with returning players April 1.Johnson said the offseason program will be crucial, as the Tigers lose the current SEC Player of the Year in Marcus Thornton and two first-team SEC All-Defensive players in Garrett Temple and center Chris Johnson.”You just don’t replace [the seniors] with any high school or junior college player,” Johnson said. “The biggest thing for our basketball team is this spring and this summer.”LSU junior forward Tasmin Mitchell would be equally hard to replace for the Tigers, but his future is not as clear as the departing seniors. Johnson said Mitchell is on pace to graduate in the summer with one more year of eligibility remaining. But Mitchell could decide to forego that final season and enter the 2009 NBA Draft.”We’re compiling as much information as possible so he’ll have facts, and he’ll be able to make a decision that is the best for him,” Johnson said.Mitchell has until April 26 to declare for the draft. Early entry or not, one of this season’s Tigers could give LSU its fifth-straight NBA draftee.Johnson said Thornton and Temple are interviewing with agents, while the Tigers’ three other seniors are preparing for the offseason.Aran Smith, analyst for NBADraft.net, said Thornton’s late-season hardware could be important toward a selection in the 2009 draft.”Winning the SEC Player of the Year opened the eyes of a lot of scouts as to how good he is,” Smith said. “I’d put him as a mid-second rounder with a chance to move up … he probably wouldn’t be a first-round pick because of the amount of early entries this year.”Smith called Thornton a “nice package” but said his smaller stature — one to two inches shorter than a standard NBA shooting guard — is the biggest knock on his potential.Smith wasn’t as optimistic about Chris Johnson or Mitchell’s potential but did not rule anything out. He said adding either one could slip into the later part of the draft.”[Mitchell] is scrappy and strong, but he needs to go back and become a perimeter player … he didn’t raise enough eyebrows this season,” Smith said. “I see Chris Johnson as an NBA athlete who needs to add some strength …  He’s kind of stuck because he has the strength of a small forward and the game of a power forward.”Smith said he saw the NBA’s Developmental League in Europe as a possible destination for Chris Johnson to hone his skills.Whatever their destination, Trent Johnson said he will be there to help his seniors with their futures.”I’m always around,” he said.—-Contact David Helman at [email protected]