Antonio Hudson looked like he was on his way to stardom after his freshman season on the LSU basketball team.
After all, he averaged 10.3 points per game in the Southeastern Conference (a league historically cruel to freshman) and really made a name for himself in the 2002 SEC Tournament.
Hudson scored 21 points per game and pulled down four rebounds per contest in a three-game span at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, and the Grambling native became the first LSU player to be named SEC All-Tournament team since 1993. He said he felt it was just part of the job.
“My freshman season I just sat back and played my role,” Hudson said. “And then when I had opportunities, I tried to present myself and take advantage of them. Going into last year, I was excited about the year coming up.”
But an influx of returning starters plus the addition of current senior forward Jaime Lloreda took away some of those chances in 2002-03 and Hudson averaged 7.5 points per game and hit 30.3 percent of his 3-point attempts. However, the team went 21-11 and earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament. Hudson said that is the only stat he looks at.
“Some people say I had a bad year,” Hudson said. “I might not have shot the ball like I wanted to. But I really don’t see it as a bad year because, basically, what all college basketball players are there for is to try to help their team win and we won 21 games and went to the tournament, so that sounds pretty good.”
Hudson did experience some moments of brilliance his sophomore season, and one of them came during what was possibly the biggest game of the year.
Against top-ranked Arizona in the PMAC on Dec. 21, 2002, Hudson scored 20 points and pulled down nine boards as the Tigers upset the Wildcats on national television.
Coming into the 2003 season, Hudson was being counted on to regain the form of his freshman year.
With scorers such as Ronald Dupree, Torris Bright and Collis Temple III out of eligibility, the team needed Hudson’s scoring.
Add that to his status as a leader on the team and a defensive stopper, and Hudson had a lot on his plate. He said that is something he embraced and still does.
“I like all challenges,” Hudson said. “That’s basically a challenge to me. I feel proud that Coach [John] Brady had that much faith and confidence in me to put that on me. I wouldn’t feel as good if he only expected me to do one thing. He expects me to be a leader, to score, make big baskets and defend the best player so I embrace that and try to do the best I can.”
Associate head coach Butch Pierre said even though a lot is expected of Hudson, he should be able to handle it because he has been around the block more than a few times.
“After you’ve been in the program for two years and you’ve played before big crowds and against the best competition in America, for him to perform at that level, he should be able to handle that,” Pierre said. “And that’s why if you’re going to be a leader on the team and you’re going to be one of the better players, that a little bit more is going to be expected of you.”
At the beginning of the season, it looked like Hudson was definitely up to the challenge.
He opened up on fire against Southern, scoring 20 points in LSU’s win. Hudson continued to put forth consistent scoring nights until the Tigers’ victory over Southern Mississippi, when he injured his ankle and was forced to sit out a game.
His ankle continued to bother him until he went on his worst shooting slump of the season, which happened to coincide with LSU’s only losing streak of the season– a three-game skid in the SEC to Mississippi State, Ole Miss and South Carolina. It also stretched into LSU’s win over Georgia at home.
In those four games, Hudson averaged 5.75 points per game and shot 29.5 percent from the field. It affected his game but not his confidence.
“Right when I went into that slump, I had just hurt my ankle,” Hudson said. “I really couldn’t get my lift back on my shot, so I feel like it was more of a mind thing and not confidence wise. I’d come in and shoot extra and work extra, and when I was shooting extra by myself, things were going good. But in the games, I tended to have my mind set on my ankle.
So Brady, Pierre and company pulled out some tapes from Hudson’s freshman year to remind him exactly what he could do. That and moving Hudson to the bench seems to have payed off, as the junior has picked his game up during LSU’s current four-game winning streak.
Hudson scored ten points in LSU’s win over Alabama and then scored 17 points in the Tigers’ victory over Tennessee, including going 4-of-5 from 3-point range.
“We got him in there and just showed him tape of how he was playing,” Pierre said. “Because a lot of times you can get on the kid and tell him that he’s not being aggressive, he’s passing up shots and not finishing plays. You start telling him that over and over again and you’re on him and all of the sudden he loses his spirit. So we showed him tape when he played well. And he saw for himself he looked different. So he knew he had it in him and with some patience and Coach Brady making a good move to take some pressure off of him and he started performing.”
Pierre said Hudson’s success is key to LSU’s success. As he goes, so do the Tigers.
“The better he plays, the better our team is,” Pierre said. “The better he plays, the better our team can be because of all that he can do.”