Earlier in the season when asked about his senior transfer from Oregon, LSU coach Will Wade said that Kavell Bigby-Williams would be worth “three or four more” wins this season. So far, those words have rung truer than ever.
In fact, you can make the case that the senior forward’s impact helped decide the two biggest games of the season for this LSU basketball team.
Whether it was on the road against then-No. 5 Kentucky where he provided the key last second tip-in that sent the Tigers home with the win, or his fight for the key rebound and follow-up basket in the overtime against then-No. 5 Tennessee that would tie the game, and set the stage for the eventual hectic and euphoric ending.
The senior is averaging 7.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per games, and the Tigers are 8-0 against opponents over the course of the season when he records a double-double. The numbers may not be eye-popping, but it is the things he does that do not show up on the stat sheet that set Bigby-Williams apart and make him such an integral part of this team.
Sure, the highlight reel blocks and rebounding numbers look nice, but as Wade likes to put it, “it’s the shots that he affects and the shots that opponents don’t take” when he’s on the floor for the Tigers that prove to be so vital. Wade often says that his senior forward doesn’t get enough credit for what he does.
But finally with LSU’s recent run of success, people are finally starting to notice just what Wade has been telling the media since the beginning of the season.
“I was actually talking to an NBA team today, and they said they thought he was one of the top 10 centers in the country and I certainly didn’t disagree,” Wade said last week during his weekly radio show. “I totally agree. Top ten? How about top five?”
When Bigby-Williams was asked by the media about being recognized by the NBA, he put things in a humbling perspective and also emphasized that there is still work to be done this season.
“Obviously, it’s great to be noticed by NBA front offices and GM, but I’ve got to focus on this season and finishing it strong and helping our team win a championship,” Bigby-Williams said. “That’s what I’ve got my mind focused on.”
The senior’s impact has been felt in a lot more ways than one this year. Bigby-Williams’ role has especially been huge for the development of LSU’s sensational freshman forward Naz Reid’s game, too.
“He’s a big presence, Reid said. “Being able to block shots, he defends well. If I need help on the backside, he’s there. He’s always there whenever one of us guards or bigs need him.”
If you could single out the biggest impact that Bigby-Williams has brought to this team, it would probably be the theme of unselfishness, and his play on the court defensively symbolizes that.
“I know my role on this team and I know my biggest strength is on the defensive end of the floor,” Bigby-Williams said. “I’m always willing to help the team defensively, and offensive is just a bonus. I don’t really look to score, and if I do score, it’s nice, but my main focal point is rebounding and blocking shots, guarding and defending different positions.”
His play and contributions are going to be key for this team’s success as they get ever closer to the SEC and NCAA tournaments later this month. Bigby-Williams has played on the big stage before but this young Tigers team will surely look to the big man on and off the court for advice as they traverse a road that many of them have not experienced before.
