Following an offseason of roster turnover that included three players — guard Aaron Dotson and forwards Matt Derenbecker and Garrett Green — transferring from the LSU men’s basketball program, coach Trent Johnson said he is looking to fill “one, maybe two” roster spots with walk-ons.
That process got under way on Monday, when Johnson and LSU hosted open tryouts at the PMAC for the fourth consecutive season.
Assistant coach Nick Robinson led approximately 25 student hopefuls through a regimen of endurance exercises, ball-handling evaluations, shooting drills and live scrimmages.
Junior Andrew Del Piero, a lanky center who made the Tiger roster as a walk-on last season after two years in the Golden Band from Tigerland, completed the warm-up exercises but didn’t participate further.
But Johnson said the 7-foot-2 Texas native does not have a leg up on the competition or a guaranteed roster spot despite his limited role in the tryouts.
“Every year you have to prove yourself,” Johnson said. “We have team individuals practice tonight, and Andrew had some study requirements before then. Nothing’s certain, and that’s only that.”
Johnson said he has enjoyed positive experiences with walk-ons going back to his days at Stanford and Nevada. He has also kept at least one such player on the Tiger roster in his first three seasons at LSU.
Daron Populist and Zach Kinsley converted their time as walk-ons at LSU during the last three years into scholarships at Southeastern Louisiana University and the University of New Orleans, respectively.
“It’s an opportunity, and there’s a tradition and history of guys performing well as walk-ons at this school,” Johnson said. “I don’t like the tag ‘walk-ons,’ and I don’t use it because you’re a part of this basketball team once we bring you in. It doesn’t matter if you’re first or 15th up and down the roster, your value is just as you.”
Johnson said the Tigers haven’t been affected by the offseason’s tumultuous roster changes due to the NBA’s continued lockout.
“The most important thing in getting better is to create the most competitive environment during practice,” Johnson said. “We’re fortunate with the NBA in lockout, so we can have an occasional practice with former LSU guys in the pros like Anthony Randolph, Marcus Thornton and Glen Davis still around. That’s an