LSU men’s basketball coach Trent Johnson, famous for his walk-on tryouts, seems to have gotten what he wished for. Johnson accepted four newcomers from this year’s tryout, including sophomore Zach Kinsley, who was the lone survivor of last year’s tryout. The other three this year are junior Chris Beattie, sophomore Taylor Jacobsen and freshman Daron Populist. Johnson envisions big things for his walk-ons. “The walk-ons have a much different role than any of the other walk-ons,” Johnson said. “Some of them will be required to play.”The two elder walk-ons – Beattie and Jacobsen – tried out last year but were denied a jersey. KINSLEY TO PLAY MOREKinsley, a St. Michael’s High School product, has been working hard. He said he worked the majority of the summer lifting weights and trying to get stronger in hopes of more playing time this season. The sophomore appeared in just nine games last season, but he has Johnson’s attention. “Zach Kinsley has done a very good job for us,” Johnson said. “He’s gotten a lot bigger and a lot stronger for us, and he’s going to play the three, maybe some two at times.”Kinsley is likely the leader of the walk-on troupe because of sheer experience. But he’s keeping mum on whatever advantage he has over the newcomers. “My main goal is getting on the floor,” Kinsley said. “We have a lot of good walk-ons this year. I think a couple of them will get on the floor.”BEATTIE FINDS HIS FITFor Beattie, basketball was like a mean girlfriend. He loved the sport, but basketball seemed to dismiss any dreams of reaching the next level in their relationship. Beattie played high school at Pope John Paul II in Slidell, where he averaged 22.4 points per game during a stellar senior campaign. He garnered serious interest from only two schools in the area – Loyola in New Orleans and Spring Hill in Mobile, Ala. Both weren’t meant to be. Beattie had a standing scholarship offer at Loyola but declined because of the school’s lack of a civil engineering program, his desired major. So Beattie moved on to Spring Hill. When Beattie tried to commit to the Badgers, the coaches informed him they had signed another player. The move left Beattie stunned and without a basketball home. Beattie enrolled at LSU in 2007, the last year of former coach John Brady’s tenure. Brady was not known for accepting walk-ons. Luck found its way to Beattie with the arrival of Johnson, renowned for holding walk-on tryouts. So Beattie tried out in 2008, his sophomore year. He didn’t make it — Kinsley did — and Beattie seriously considered dropping his dream of playing college basketball. “I was going back and forth because I was getting so much further into my academic career,” Beattie said. “I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do, but I knew I loved the game of basketball. So I decided to come back to it.”Now, Beattie is proud to show off his name, etched in purple stitching, on the back of his jersey he wore to LSU’s basketball media day. “It’s an indescribable feeling,” Beattie said. “I’m so glad to be here and be a part of it.”JACOBSEN ON GOLD TEAMJacobsen, unlike Beattie, had little thought of giving up his dream to play basketball at LSU. After barely missing out on Kinsley’s walk-on spot last year, Jacobsen needed a way to hone his game and maintain close contact with Johnson.So he joined the other team on campus – the women’s squad. Jacobsen was a member of the Gold Team, a team coach Van Chancellor employs to help toughen his team for the rigors of SEC women’s basketball. “I came out to play against them, thinking nothing of it, and it made me respect how the girls play, too,” Jacobsen said. “I kept in contact with the coaches and kept working out. They saw what I was doing.”Johnson must have liked what he saw. Jacobsen’s size – 6-feet-6inches and 205 pounds – combined with a smooth shooting stroke helped Jacobsen claim a spot on the squad for the upcoming season. Johnson called Jacobsen “a little thin,” but he still lauded the junior’s initial efforts in workouts. “He’s very aggressive,” Johnson said. “He seems to grasp what we’re doing.”Jacobsen, born in New Orleans, is a Charlotte, N.C., native who received little interest coming out of high school. The combination of family roots and a good school proved the winning factors for Jacobsen’s descent upon Baton Rouge. “The hospitality is incredible,” Jacobsen said. “If basketball didn’t work out, I’d still get a great education.”LONE FRESHMAN ON TEAMPopulist, a Slidell native, is garnering special attention from Johnson — and not just because of his talents.Johnson’s area of specialty is the point guard position, where Populist slides behind junior Bo Spencer and sophomore Chris Bass on the depth chart. Johnson said in his media day news conference Populist is probably tired of the coach’s constant nagging. “Daron Populist, I feel sorry for him because he’s a point guard; because he’s got to put up with me morning, noon and night,” Johnson said. Populist preferred to take the safe route by denying Johnson’s claims. “No, no. Coach J is a great guy and knows the game in and out, but right now it just comes with territory,” Populist said. “I’m just learning and getting situated to the offense, but I’m used to it by now.”Populist received attention from a slew of smaller colleges coming out of high school, most notably from Southeastern Louisiana.
 
 
 
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