Part of hiring a new head coach is also hiring assistant coaches that can make an impact on the player’s lives. Former Tiger basketball great Tasmin Mitchell was hired by Will Wade as the director of student athlete development.
Mitchell’s role with the team is player development and to be an open ear for players to talk to. When players have problems with balancing school and basketball, Mitchell is the go-to guy.
“I’m the guy they come to if they need to talk about something,” Mitchell said. “Unless it’s a life or death situation, I won’t tell coach and try to solve the issues myself.”
As an integral part of LSU’s Final Four run in 2006, Mitchell remembers that season as a 19-year-old true freshman trying to make an impact. On a team that included Glen “Big Baby” Davis, Tyrus Thomas and Garrett Temple, Mitchell was able to thrive, averaging 11 points and six rebounds per game.
“That Final Four team was crazy,” Mitchell said. “It spoiled me and it was a journey of brothers. We grew up with each other and had a lot of camaraderie.”
Mitchell chooses not to talk about the Final Four days with the current team and talks instead about what the players need to do to be successful.
“They were kids when I was playing,” Mitchell said. “I really don’t try to reiterate about that because I don’t want to talk about myself. I want them to understand that they still have a lot of work to do.”
After his college career ended in 2010, Mitchell went overseas and played in Paris, Israel and Moscow for six years. Mitchell said it was very hard at times because he would be away from his family for ten months at a time while continuing to play the game he loved.
“The best place to play was Paris,” Mitchell said. “Israel was the most warming country but it was definitely a culture shock. The total years I was overseas, I was only home for a year and a half.”
Mitchell returned to Baton Rouge on a permanent basis after the flooding last August and volunteered at his high school stomping grounds, Denham Springs High School.
“They made me feel real welcome,” Mitchell said. “I enjoyed it, and I saw myself being a coach. I was always the leader that led by example, so I can try to put that knowledge into players today to help them be successful in life.”
In the few months that Mitchell has been with the team, Wade has taught him to pay attention to detail and to stay poised.
“Care about your players,” Mitchell said. “[Wade] cares about those players and he’s hard on them, but if he’s hard on you that means he cares.”
Mitchell plans to build his resume with this coaching staff and doesn’t plan to leave the LSU family anytime soon.
“I want to be able to be next to the head coach one day,” Mitchell said. “I don’t want to leave LSU. This is something that I want to stay and build on.”