With Southeastern Conference play starting Saturday, LSU men’s basketball coach Trent Johnson is about excited as he can be to begin the “second season” of sorts in 2010.
“Obviously, there’s a level of excitement because of league play,” Johnson said Thursday with a straight face. “Starting with Alabama, who’s an impressive of a team I can see from this year to last year.”
Johnson seems to be as impressed with the Crimson Tide, led by first-year coach Anthony Grant, as he is excited. Johnson can relate to Grant’s present circumstances.
“I think Coach Grant has inherited a similar situation to what I did a year ago,” Johnson said. “They have some senior guards and some very talented front line guys. They’re playing well. They’ve been battle tested.”
Johnson also relayed Thursday that sophomore guard Chris Bass will start Saturday in place of sophomore guard Zach Kinsley, who was involved in a car accident Wednesday. Kinsley was not injured in the accident.
“It has nothing to do with [Alabama],” Johnson said. “It has something to do with our rotations and how I feel about Zach. Zach had a car accident [Wednesday] and missed a big portion of practice.”
Johnson also stressed how much better the league is as compared to the 2008-09 slate.
“If Georgia’s picked last in our league, and they beat Georgia Tech, who was ranked 17th in the country, then it’s unbelievably talented,” Johnson said. “The league wasn’t that tough last year but only had one good basketball team and we all know who that was. I believe everybody’s going to try pound that group this year.”
The second-year coach also updated senior guard Alex Farrer’s situation. Farrer, who suffered a knee injury in the preseason, was thought to be lost for the season. Though that might still be true, a slim chance remains Farrer could return to the team in March.
“I’m crossing my fingers, for Alex, maybe March,” Johnson said. “[LSU trainer] Shawn [Eddy] and those guys told me that it doesn’t look or sound good. Is he farther along than what Shawn tells me and what Alex says? Yes. But, if you look at who we’re playing and the speed of the game, he’s a long ways off. For example, if he was cleared today, it would take him a month to get in the kind of condition to play.”
 
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