When sophomore guard Tremont Waters decided to return to LSU, he knew there’d be a ton of exciting new talent to break in. As one of the leaders of the team, Waters took it upon himself to lead not only on the court, but off it as well.
One of the messages Waters preaches to the players is “never get to high on wins and never get to low on losses.” That may be tough to process considering the immense expectations facing the 2018 Tiger squad.
LSU coach Will Wade sports one of the top recruiting classes in the country, featuring Baton Rouge native Ja’vonte Smart and five-star big man Naz Reid. The addition of eight new faces to the roster has projected LSU at No. 23 in the AP Top 25 preseason poll, so the Tigers will have expectations to meet.
Smart, a home-grown guard out of Scotlandville, La. where he won three state championships, spent the majority of the offseason working on his jump shot, and the early returns are looking positive.
“Ja’vonte has really played at a high level offensively,” Wade said. “He’s a really good shooter, a hard worker. Between when he won the state championship at Scotlandville and when he got here, he’d go to the gym at 5:30 in the morning and make 500 jump shots before school started. He’s a blue collar, hard working guy, so we’re very pleased with his progress thus far.”
Wade spent months trying to figure out how Smart would gel with returning guards Waters and Skylar Mays.
For the first few weeks of camp, Wade pitted Waters and Smart against each other, but with the season now two weeks away, Wade has started playing Waters, Smart and Mays together. Wade said the three are adjusting well together and expects all of them to be double-digit scorers and big contributors to the team.
“I don’t think it’s any secret that’s our best backcourt,” Wade said. “I tell them all the time, if we get a lead, we should be very tough to come back on because we should be getting good shots and not turning the ball over.”
Waters said the last week and a half has been about he and Mays learning the rhythm of Smart’s game and building off the chemistry Waters and Mays already have together.
“I feel like in this last week I’ve really started to get a good feel for what Ja’vonte likes to do,” Waters said. “I would say his IQ and ball handling are really polished. He’s a dynamic point guard that can play the one and two. Being able to see his growth and confidence as a player is something I’m continually trying to help him with.”
Fellow freshman Naz Reid was a highly touted prospect for Wade and the Tigers. Reid has already drawn first round buzz in the NBA and was even featured on early mock drafts as a potential lottery pick.
Reid, a New Jersey native, said the decision to come to LSU was easy after talking with Smart, who played a big role in recruiting Reid, and having a successful visit to Baton Rouge.
“Immediately it felt like home away from home,” Reid said. “I really don’t like to leave Jersey, so it was an amazing experience when I came here and everything just came together.”
Reid has rare playmaking ability for a big man, something that made him an attractive prospect to many schools around the country. Reid’s playmaking ability stems from before he hit a growth spurt. When Reid started playing, he wasn’t the biggest guy and would be asked to play guard, a talent he carried over to his big man game.
Playmaking coupled with elite scoring and rebounding will make him a must watch player, but it’s his outside shot that Reid has worked on most since arriving on campus.
Wade will move Reid around the four and five spot this season, but Wade also said there could be times where Reid will be asked to play the three, allowing the team to go bigger than normal.
Freshman big man Emmitt Williams lives and breathes defense and with his 6-foot-7 frame, should be a problem for most forwards in the conference. Williams is a rare talent that can defend one to five and, according to Wade, can rebound the ball at a highly effective rate.
Williams said rebounding is the most developed aspect of his game, but he has been working constantly on becoming a versatile defender that Wade can count on.
“I think I’ll have a profound impact because I’m really strong at rebounding,” Williams said. “That’s not all I’m good at though. I’m really trying to develop my defense and being able to guard one through five and really take my game to that next level.”
Forward Darius Days brings a high motor to the team, as well as a perimeter scoring presence that should be able to stretch the floor when he is on the court. Days is known as ‘the Mayor’ because of his general likeability to everyone he meets on campus.
“I know everybody on campus, really cool with everybody,” Days said. “Black, white, green, yellow, boy, girl, it doesn’t matter. I just like people and will walk up to them and have a simple conversation.”
JUCO transfer Marlon Taylor brings athleticism and a defensive prowess that LSU will have to depend on this season. Wade announced that Taylor broke his pinky finger which will keep him out 2-3 weeks, but is expected to be ready for the home opener against Southeastern.
“He may be our best best athlete, our best best lockdown defender,” Wade said.“He had his best week of practice before the injury and was really coming along. I’m feeling really good about him.”
The post defense has been the weakest spot according to Wade, but finally having big man Oregon-transfer Kavell Bigby-Williams available will help in the paint. Bigby-Williams was on the team last year, but had to sit out due to NCAA transfer rules.
Double digit rebounds and post defense are the two traits the Tigers will rely on in regards to Bigby-Williams and that’s a role he’s embraced.
“I think Kavell will help us in the back line but we don’t want to funnel everything to him and just ask him to block shots because it creates rotation problems,” Wade said.
With the season quickly approaching, Waters is making sure the young players are ready for tough battle that lies ahead. Waters big piece of advice on the court was to make sure the new guys have their bodies ready for a grueling six month schedule, referring to the Tulane scrimmage last season as his wake up call.
“I’ve been talking to all of them about accepting the change of pace in a game,” Waters said. “Last year against Tulane, I didn’t show up at all. I was shocked at how many people were there — the structure was different. I just had to learn as time went on, so I’ve been telling them to listen and learn, and everything will be perfectly fine.”
When asked how different he is between then and now?
“It’s like day and night,” Waters said.
