LSU freshman forward Eddie Ludwig and Tiger commitment Matt Derenbecker lit up the gym of Metairie Park Country Day School together, leading the Cajuns to the 1A State Championship in 2009.Since then the duo has separated for a year before a possible reunion under the bright lights of the PMAC. Ludwig signed with LSU on Feb. 18, while Derenbecker, a high school senior, committed to the Tigers on July 16. The 6-foot-7-inch, 185-pound recruit joins Scout.com three-star forward Jalen Courtney as the only recruits in LSU’s 2010 class.Ludwig and Derenbecker are the second and third players to commit to a Division-I school during Country Day coach Mike McGuire’s 12-year tenure.Derenbecker, the reigning Gatorade Boys Player of the Year and first-team Class 1A All-State selection, played for Class 5A Ponchatoula before transferring to Country Day before his junior season, during which he averaged 20 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Derenbecker will seek another state championship without Ludwig.”He was the missing piece to beat Christian Life for the state title,” McGuire said. “His role is going to change without Eddie. He’s going to have to go down and rebound more.”McGuire said the Scout.com four-star recruit can play any position for Country Day, but he envisions him as a two or three guard in college.”That’s why [LSU] coach Trent Johnson loved him,” McGuire said. “He can definitely play a few different spots in college.”Johnson was a major reason Derenbecker chose LSU instead of Stanford, the team Johnson led before joining the Tigers in 2008.”Stanford would have been a good opportunity for me, but LSU was where my heart was,” Derenbecker said. “I really liked coach Johnson and the coaching staff.”The short drive from Metairie also convinced him to deny offers from schools like Alabama, Georgetown and Ole Miss.”I wanted my family to be able to see me play,” Derenbecker said. “I wanted to come back and visit my family.”Derenbecker, the No. 19-ranked small forward by Scout.com, will have an easy time adjusting to college basketball because of his AAU experience.”Most people say you’ve got to go to a big school to play for a Division-I program, but that’s just not true,” McGuire said. “It’s not always about the high school that you’re at as long as you are able to play with the high level of competition with AAU. He gets to play with the top 12 kids in the state.”Derenbecker said he wants to take advantage of his senior campaign before suiting up for the Tigers.”I’m really trying to increase my explosiveness off the dribble,” Derenbecker said. “I know there are going to be a lot of funky defenses thrown at me without Eddie, so I want to be able handle whatever they throw at me.”Derenbecker was also recruited for his shooting and ball handling.”He can shoot with anybody in the country,” McGuire said. “He’s also really smart with a great basketball IQ.”Derenbecker’s family pedigree helped form his basketball skills. His father, John, also led Country Day to a state title in 1977 and went on to play for Centenary and Vanderbilt.McGuire sees Derenbecker as an impact player for the Tigers in the years to come.”He’s going to compete for a spot,” McGuire said. “If he’s not starting, he’ll be in the top rotation.”Derenbecker may even get a chance to reunite with his wingman from high school. “From what coach Johnson said, it’s a great possibility of us starting together,” Derenbecker said. “That would be awesome.”—-Contact Michael Lambert at [email protected]