LSU sophomore forward Jarell Martin knew his teammate was in pain.  
But Martin also knew sophomore forward Jordan Mickey wouldn’t be out for long. 
“He wanted to go back in,” Martin said. “He told the coach he was ready. I saw in his eyes the pain he had. I knew how bad he was feeling.”
In the second half of the Tigers’ loss against Mississippi State on Saturday, Mickey leaped for a high pass but landed awkwardly on his right ankle, forcing an unexpected exit to a tight ball game. 
But less than two minutes later, Mickey was back on the court. Martin wasn’t surprised. 
“He was in a lot of pain,” Martin said. “He came to the sideline saying it was hurting. He actually wanted to sit down and take a break. But he knew how important it was for him to be out there, and he knew the predicament I was in. He went out there and gave his all.” 
The Tigers’ loss to the Bulldogs marred a historic game from Mickey, who tallied 25 points and a career-best 20 rebounds Saturday. Mickey’s gutsy performance wasn’t lost on his teammates, giving them more reason to follow the player who’s steadily evolved into LSU’s leader this season. 
“It shows how resilient he is and what a warrior he is,” said junior guard Keith Hornsby. “He’s going at it on a hurt foot, and that’s big for us, and obviously the numbers speaks for themselves.” 
Entering this season, there was concern about who would fill the gaping leadership void left by former LSU forward Johnny O’Bryant. With more than half the regular season gone by, Mickey has emerged as that leader. 
Never too high, never too low, the low-key Mickey lets his play do the talking. 
“He takes care of business,” Hornsby said. “No extra stuff, no histrionics. He can be defined as our main leader in that sense.”
Mickey became the first Tiger to tally at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in a Southeastern Conference game since Shaquille O’Neal did it against Auburn in 1992. Mickey’s career night also gave him his 12th double-double of the year, tying him with Auburn junior forward Cinmeon Bowers for the SEC lead.

But while others get caught up in numbers, Mickey gets caught up in wins. 
“You can’t be satisfied with individual stats,” Mickey said. “I wanted to win the game, and we weren’t able to.”
Mickey may not put stock in personal numbers, but he’s reaching the point where the stats can’t be ignored. With 179 rejections, he is the second-leading shot blocker in LSU history, trailing O’Neal for the program’s all-time record. 
Mickey’s 20 rebounds against Mississippi St. were the most for a Tiger since Jaime Lloreda grabbed 21 on Nov. 24, 2003. His big night on the glass also put him 15 rebounds shy of becoming the 39th player in program history to grab 500 boards in his career. 
But talent alone doesn’t have Mickey, a former four-star recruit who captured a state title his junior year at Arlington Grace Prep in Texas,  in such a historic position at LSU. Martin said Mickey, who’s also his roommate, has tirelessly worked himself into a great player. 
“[Mickey’s] work ethic and everything — he’s a guy that works hard and lives in the gym,” Martin said. 
This season, the hard work has paid off. The 6-foot-8 Mickey leads the SEC in blocks per game (3.7), is second in rebounding (10.9) and third in scoring (16.4). 

Mickey’s numbers this season make those of his rookie year look pedestrian. His 12 double-doubles this season are already three more than his entire freshman campaign. He’s also scored at least 20 points six times this season, something he did just three times in 34 games last season. 
With the season past the midway point, Mickey’s play has turned up. Mickey is averaging 21.3 points in his last three games, including two 25-point outings during that span. The second 25-point affair on a bum ankle against Mississippi State astonished Hornsby, who didn’t realize until late in the game how badly his star teammate was hurting. 
“I didn’t even realize something was wrong with him until three minutes left when he was just limping severely,” Hornsby said. “The fact that he managed to get 25 [points] and 20 [rebounds] under those conditions is another example of how amazing he is.” 
For a player who lets his actions on the court do the talking, seeing Mickey trudge his way up and down the court inspired those around to play even harder. 
“When you see a guy go out there and play through the pain, it makes you play your heart out even more — to give him everything you can, every bit of energy in your body,” Martin said.  
Mickey will have had five days to rest his injured ankle when the Tigers hit the floor for their game against Auburn at 6 p.m. tonight in the PMAC. The matchup will pit Mickey against Bowers, the only two players in the SEC averaging a double-double. 
While Bowers doesn’t have a game that can match Mickey’s recent dominant outing, LSU’s even-keeled leader hasn’t dwelled on his personal feat. He’s moved on to the next game. 
“It was a good individual game [against Mississippi State], but I’m a player that wants to get the win,” Mickey said. “I hate losing. I was pretty disappointed that we lost, so I didn’t really dwell on the [accomplishment] too long. I just went back and tried to figure out how we can get ready for the next game.”
You can reach David Gray on Twitter @dgray_TDR.