When LSU announced new men’s basketball coach Johnny Jones on Sunday, the atmosphere couldn’t have been more different than the typical press conferences I’ve become accustomed to under former coach Trent Johnson. Former LSU coaches and players packed the interview room for Jones’ return to LSU.
Jones played on the 1981 Final Four team and was an assistant coach on the team that reached the national semifinals in 1986. The hiring of the former Tiger has Baton Rouge buzzing about basketball for the first time in a long time.
Here are five things I expect to happen in Jones’ first season as LSU basketball coach.
 
1. The Tigers will embrace a fast-paced style of play.
If there’s one thing Jones is known for, it’s quickening the tempo.
While at North Texas for 11 seasons, Jones helped establish one of the highest-scoring teams in the Sun Belt. The Mean Green was the top-scoring team in the conference and also had the conference’s leading scorer the past two seasons.
The current players on the LSU roster are better suited for an up-tempo style and will benefit from Jones’ new system.
 
2. Jones will assemble a top-25 recruiting class for 2013.
Jones lured Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Jackson and Randy Livingston to Baton Rouge to play for former LSU coach Dale Brown. Although he won’t make too big of a recruiting haul in 2012, the fruits of his labor will show in the 2013 class.
Two Baton Rouge prospects in the 2013 class, Episcopal forward Brian Bridgewater and Madison Prep Academy forward Jarrell Martin, could contribute right away in the Southeastern Conference. He can’t afford to miss out on in-state recruits like Johnson did during his four-year tenure.
Jones was able to get five-star forward Tony Mitchell to come to North Texas last season. Imagine who he can convince to come to LSU.
 
3. The PMAC might actually be packed.
The PMAC used to be called the Deaf Dome. Now it’s one of the least intimidating venues in the SEC.
Jones was around during the days when the PMAC was a place opponents dreaded visiting. He’s already made it a point to reach out to the Baton Rouge community to fill the seats.
This past season at North Texas, Jones set the third best single-season attendance mark in school history. Getting a sizable crowd in the PMAC will be the first step in bringing LSU hoops back to its glory days.
 
4. Interaction among former LSU players and coaches will increase.
Reactions to Jones’ hiring from people such as Brown and Collis Temple show former LSU players and coaches are excited to see someone with purple and gold roots on the Tigers’ sideline.
Johnson did a great job of alienating former Tigers, one of the reasons he was never a good fit in Baton Rouge.
Having Brown and Temple around the program can only benefit a new head coach. Jones, unlike Johnson, will take all the help he can get from former LSU players and coaches.
 
5. LSU will reach 20 wins for the first time since 2008-09 season.
Although Jones is mostly noted for his extraordinary recruiting ability, the man can win basketball games, too.
From 2006 to 2011, Jones led North Texas to five consecutive 20-win seasons. North Texas averaged a mere five wins a season in the four years before his arrival.
If LSU can add a few post players to go along with freshman forward Johnny O’Bryant III, it will have the talent to compete with anyone in 2012.
Jones will immediately bring a winning mentality into the LSU locker room. The Tigers will enjoy their first 20-win campaign since Johnson’s first season in 2008-09.
Micah Bedard is a 21-year-old mass communication senior from Houma. Follow him on Twitter @DardDog.
 
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