Aaron Dotson is a new man.
The sophomore shooting guard is healthy for the first time since he was in high school, and he has switched jersey numbers from 12 to 45.
Dotson said he was simply “looking for a change” when he made the switch.
“I was actually at Walk-On’s one day, and I saw the [former LSU walk-on Jack] Warner jersey, No. 45, and I liked the way it looked. So I just decided to change and forget about last year.”
Dotson parallels an LSU basketball program looking for a fresh start after a dismal 2009-10 campaign.
Dotson averaged 3.2 points per game on 29 percent shooting in his freshman year at LSU — figures many expected to be much higher from LSU coach Trent Johnson’s star recruit.
The Seattle native was a Scout.com four-star recruit and came to LSU amid lofty expectations after leading Rainier Beach High School to the Class 3A state championship in his junior season.
He then parlayed a solid summer in 2008 into scholarship offers from LSU, Washington and Louisville.
But Dotson suffered a patella tendon tear in his left knee during his senior season of high school, and he hasn’t been the same player since.
Until this year, that is.
Players have been taking notice of the difference between the healthy Dotson and the injured Dotson, including sophomore forward Eddie Ludwig.
“He looks a lot more explosive this year,” Ludwig said. “It’s exciting to see him come back to the form he had in high school that got him ranked so high.”
Dotson was hailed coming out of high school for his athleticism, but that wasn’t evident last year while playing on his injured knee.
Dotson said the injury to his left knee made him feel off-balance in games and was a factor in his low shooting percentage.
A major indicator of how often a player drives to the basket is the amount of free throws the player attempts — and Dotson only got to the line 43 times in 29 games last season.
But Dotson’s healthy knee should lead to more scoring opportunities.
“I think this year with his leg strength being back, he’ll be able to get to the rim and make plays for other guys, which is really big,” Ludwig said. “I think he’s going to be really good for us this year.”
At 6 feet 4 inches and 205 pounds, Dotson will be counted on to be a defensive presence on the wing this season.
“He’s having fun, man,” said junior guard Chris Bass. “His jumping ability looks a lot better, and his defense — we were scrimmaging, and he was really getting into guys. He’s just getting more and more confident.”
Freshman point guard Andre Stringer didn’t see Dotson’s struggles with the injury firsthand last year, but he has been impressed by what he has seen in Dotson defensively so far.
“He works extremely hard — probably one of the hardest-working guys on our team,” Stringer said. “In practice, he doesn’t hold back anything.”
On a team that has four freshmen and doesn’t have a senior, Dotson is trying to fill the leadership void.
“I want to be a leader,” Dotson said. “We’ve got a lot of new guys, and I want to be a leader and a role model for the younger guys.”
 
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Contact Luke Johnson at [email protected]