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The PMAC has seen its share of great players in its lifetime. Former Tigers like Shaquille O’Neal, Rudy Macklin and Chris Jackson graced its confines weekly.
Even more basketball legends have visited. Former Auburn forward and NBA legend Charles Barkley and former Loyola-Marymount forward Hank Geathers headline the list, while LSU has played against the likes of Michael Jordan and Grant Hill on the road.
When No. 4 Kentucky (21-1, 6-1) visits Saturday, another name will be added to the list.
John Wall will be in the building.
Wall, Kentucky’s super freshman point guard, attracts the crowds by himself. The Raleigh, N.C., native is widely considered the best college basketball player today and a lock for the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.
Some even think if Wall had entered the draft after high school, he would have been chosen above No. 1 pick and current Los Angeles Clipper Blake Griffin.
“They looked into it a little bit, and had he come out, there would have been teams that seriously would have considered taking him No. 1,” said SportsIllustrated.com writer Luke Winn. “I can’t guarantee you they would have taken him ahead of Blake Griffin, but I think that if they had found a way, because he was already 19, to get him in the draft, if they had unlimited exposure to him and he got out there in workouts, he may have done enough to put himself No. 1.”
His athletic skills are NBA-ready. A pure point guard standing 6 feet 4 inches, Wall has scouts drooling over his upside. Some say he’s a more polished Derrick Rose.
Rose, point guard for the Chicago Bulls, won Rookie of the Year in 2008-2009 season.
“The Derrick Rose comparison is reasonable just because of the way they both play, which is an explosive point guard game,” Winn said. “He may not be entirely polished. Rose took longer to emerge like Wall has, seeing as how Rose came on in the [NCAA] tournament, and Wall has been right out of the gate. Wall has progressed a little faster, though.”
Wall’s decision to attend Kentucky was spearheaded by the hiring of John Calipari, longtime coach at Memphis. Wall has said he would have gone to Memphis had Calipari stayed the Tigers’ coach.
His freshman year has been nothing short of spectacular. Wall is averaging 16.9 points per game and dishing out 6.8 assists. Wall’s assist numbers are good for No. 2 in the country.
“With the way the Kentucky hype machine [works], it’s tough to ever surpass hype there,” Winn said. “But he’s certainly lived up to it early on. He probably jumped to first in the national player of the year race in the first couple of months.”
Calipari tried to put a damper on some of the hype. The coach is concerned about Wall succumbing to the expectations that have been placed on the young freshman.
“This is a 19 year old who just turned 19 who’s dealing with stuff for the first time in his life,” Calipari said. “He doesn’t deal with everything the right way, but he’s maturing, and this was a great teaching time for him and our team. They’re trying to find kinks in his armor.”
Not many kinks have been found.
If one needs historical perspective, just ask Dale Brown. Brown, who coached LSU for 25 years and saw his share of talented players pass through Baton Rouge.
“He’s one of the finest looking freshmen I’ve ever seen,” Brown said. “He’s got such a complete game for a freshman. He’s very unselfish.”
Brown saw some talented freshmen, too. Two of the best in NCAA history — O’Neal and Jackson — played for Brown.
The PMAC saw its fair share of great teams and players throughout Brown’s tenure as well. Baton Rouge played host to teams like North Carolina, Villanova, UNLV, Loyola-Marymount and Arizona in Brown’s heyday.
Some of the current Tigers don’t need a history lesson on Wall’s ability. Wall is no stranger to freshman forward Eddie Ludwig. Ludwig, a top-flight recruit coming out of Metairie Park County Day, made his rounds on the AAU circuit.
“I’ve played against him in AAU, and I’ve seen him on the circuit,” Ludwig said. “I thought he was by far the best player in my class. I didn’t see anyone that was nearly as talented or as good as him on the AAU circuit.”
In any fashion, LSU will have its hands full with Wall and the Wildcats. With the Tigers winless in Southeastern Conference play, the task seems nearly insurmountable.
Don’t tell that to Brown.
Brown recalls Feb. 11, 1978, when No. 1 Kentucky rolled into Baton Rouge. LSU fouled out all five starters and still won, 95-94.
“It wasn’t Lazarus emerging from the grave,” Brown said. “But if that can happen, LSU can win Saturday.”  
 
———Contact Chris Branch at [email protected]