It’s no surprise to anyone the North Carolina Tar Heels brought home their fifth national championship in 2009.But it’s quite a large surprise the Heels’ toughest competition in their run through the NCAA tournament was the Southeastern Conference champion LSU.The Tigers’ surprising bout with the eventual champs would end their season, but that can hardly be a disappointment for first-year coach Trent Johnson — well, almost.”It’s taken me a while to bring closure to the Carolina game because we were in a great situation with six minutes left,” Johnson said at his postseason press conference. “I wished I could’ve helped them more down the stretch.”Johnson arrived in Baton Rouge from Stanford last April and was given the unenviable task of retooling a basketball program fresh off a 13-18 season.The future looked bright for LSU when a video surfaced, showcasing Johnson’s dodgeball prowess, and Johnson confirmed those hopes by delivering LSU its 10th SEC regular season title and its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2006.”This whole business for me is predicated on overachieving and maximizing what you have,” Johnson said. “For the most part, I think this team did maximize and overachieve.”The Tigers’ out-of-nowhere success earned Johnson SEC Coach of the Year honors, a distinction he is somewhat reluctant to discuss.”I have a sense of satisfaction for [the team],” Johnson said. “The grind for me continues. I know how hard it is to compete at this level. I know how hard it is to reach the postseason every year.”The Tigers’ senior-laden roster had a big year of its own, aiding Johnson en route to a 12-game SEC win streak and a trip to the nation’s top 25 polls.LSU entered the top 25 at No. 23 on Feb. 18 and climbed as high as No. 12 before a loss to Vanderbilt on March 4.Senior guard Marcus Thornton finished as the SEC’s No. 2 scorer. The Baton Rouge native averaged 21.1 points per game, earning SEC Player of the Year honors in the process.”Last year, I had put up similar numbers, but we didn’t win as much,” Thornton said. “This year I put up the same numbers, and we won, so I give credit to my teammates. Without winning the games, I probably wouldn’t be in the conversation for Player of the Year.”Thornton’s fellow starters earned postseason accolades of their own. Junior forward Tasmin Mitchell was named first-team All-SEC along with Thornton after averaging 16.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.Senior guard Garrett Temple was named to both the All-SEC second team and All-Defensive team, while senior center Chris Johnson grabbed an SEC All-Defensive team nod.All four players plan to try their luck in June’s NBA draft.The Tigers’ four senior starters, along with senior forward Quintin Thornton and senior guard Terry Martin, leave a gaping hole Johnson is already busy filling.Point guard Aaron Dotson and power forward Eddie Ludwig both committed to LSU as part of Johnson’s first recruiting class this past season. Johnson also secured commitments for 2010 and 2011 in power forward Jalen Courtney and small forward John Isaac.LSU also added a high-profile transfer in former Ole Miss forward Malcolm White, who averaged 7.2 points and 5.7 boards last season in 24 games with the Rebels.Johnson’s second team at LSU will be the opposite of his veteran squad of SEC champions. The Tigers will return at least one starter in rising junior Bo Spencer, while younger players such as Chris Bass, Storm Warren and Delwan Graham must contribute after playing minor roles this spring.”The expectation for this team, unlike the last team, is to prove that we are worthy,” Trent Johnson said. “These players have to prove that they are worthy of competing at a high level and worthy of what happened this past year.”Regardless of how the coming seasons fare, Johnson and LSU basketball found their way into the same sentence as North Carolina in 2009, and that’s definitely a step in the right direction.——Contact David Helman at [email protected]