Aaron Dotson’s season-ending knee surgery affected Seattle-based Rainier Beach High School’s chance of winning a state title in 2009. The Vikings were eliminated in the quarterfinals without the Scout.com three-star guard.Rainier Beach coach Mike Bethea said Dotson would have made them a top-10 team in the country, and they “just never really recovered from him being out.”But the 6-foot-4-inch recruit is fully recovered now, and plans to make an immediate impact when he returns to the floor at LSU.”I really want to play in the Final Four,” Dotson said. “I want to be the SEC Freshman of the Year.”Dotson said the surgery will give him a healthy knee going into the 2009 season.”The recovery is going pretty good,” Dotson said. “Right now I’m doing a lot of strength training and trying to get my balance back. I should be back to 100 percent late June, early July.”Dotson was recruited heavily by LSU coach Trent Johnson, Bethea’s childhood friend. Dotson said his assistant coach at Rainier Beach is also best friends with Johnson.Dotson continues the tradition of great basketball players from Rainier Beach.He is the 12th consecutive player from the school to sign a Division I scholarship. NBA players Doug Christie, Jamaal Crawford and Nate Robinson also played for Rainier Beach. When the Tigers began recruiting Dotson, Johnson made it clear he could have an impact similar to those players’ at LSU.”I always felt when I spoke to LSU coaches that they really needed me,” Dotson said. “I wanted to go to a college that needed me, not just wanted me.”The guard will be needed next season to fill the gap of at least five departing seniors.Dotson and Country Day forward Eddie Ludwig are the only recruits in LSU’s 2009 class. They will be asked to help rebuild a team with only one or two returning starters, depending on what happens to junior forward Tasmin Mitchell in the NBA draft.Dotson said he plans to fill one of the voids in the starting lineup.”I have a pretty good chance to start,” Dotson said. “I’m the only two-guard right now. I want to be a starter.”Dotson narrowed his college choice down to LSU and Louisville before he made his final decision. He would have had time to develop under five rising seniors at Louisville, but he chose to play at LSU, where he would have an earlier chance to play.Dotson said losing a large crop of seniors has its pros and cons for him.”Some days, I think that’s going to hurt,” Dotson said. “Some days, I think I just have to step up. I’m up for the challenge.”The Seattle native averaged 13.5 points his junior season but only played three games his senior season. Bethea said he was an integral leader for the team. The coach said Dotson will make the adjustment from being a senior at Rainier Beach to a freshman at LSU.”Not only did he lead vocally, but he led by example,” Bethea said. “He held the guys to a higher standard. He has that type of mental makeup that will allow him to make that transition pretty easy.”Sonny Shipp, Louisiana recruiting analyst for Scout.com, said Dotson will be able to recover from the knee injury and be an impact player as a freshman.”The surgery was a success, and he should be ready to go when he gets [to LSU],” Shipp said. “He’s got a good chance to come in and get a lot of playing time, if not start.”—-Contact Michael Lambert at [email protected]