Picture this: Brandon Bass, Tyrus Thomas, Glen Davis, Darnell Lazare and Magnum Rolle – all on the same frontcourt. If the fame and fortune that come along with being in the NBA were not so attractive, current NBA players Bass and Thomas would still be in Baton Rouge and LSU could have one of the most dominant corps of post players in the nation. And if Vanderbilt University junior forward Ross Neltner had not left LSU for Music City, USA, he would be another viable post option for the Tigers. The 6-foot-9-inch, 247-pound forward played two seasons for the Tigers before transferring to Vanderbilt in 2005. He will face his former team and head coach for the first time tonight when the Commodores (13-6, 3-2) take on the No. 21 Tigers (13-5, 2-2) in the PMAC. After averaging 13.5 minutes and 2.9 points per game during the 2004-2005 season, Neltner decided to leave LSU for Vanderbilt. But Neltner’s mind was not set on leaving LSU for another Southeastern Conference school. He said the universities of Florida, Michigan and Illinois, along with Georgetown University, were the other schools he strongly considered before heading to Nashville to play for coach Kevin Stallings and the Commodores. “[Transferring] was something I reevaluated at the end of the season after my sophomore year,” Neltner said. “I was fortunate enough after I put my name out there to have a lot of good schools recruit me pretty heavily.” The Fort Thomas, Ky., native said many people believe he transferred because he was “chased away” by LSU coach John Brady, but Neltner said that cannot be further from the truth. “Coach Brady and I never had cross words,” Neltner said. “He definitely has a unique coaching style, but that wasn’t the reason I left. People also thought I was leaving because of playing time and that really wasn’t true either because I was pretty much the sixth-man … my sophomore year.” Neltner said the Commodores’ offensive philosophy suits him better than the Tigers’ and that it was a main factor in his decision to transfer. “Vanderbilt has an offense that really values guys that can dribble, penetrate and shoot,” he said. “Those are things that I can do pretty well.” Neltner said even though he is a year removed from his time in Baton Rouge, he will still feel a sense of nervousness when he takes the PMAC court tonight. “It’s definitely a game I’m looking forward to,” he said. “It’s going to be weird sitting on the other bench in the PMAC, but I’m just trying to treat it as any other game.” Neltner and the Commodores will be facing an LSU squad that has had its share of offensive struggles recently. The Tigers have scored fewer than 70 points in their past six games, and Arkansas held LSU to its lowest point total since January 2004 in the Hogs’ 72-52 win against the Tigers on Saturday. Following Monday’s practice Brady summed up his team’s offensive difficulties with a quote by a legendary college coach. “I read a quote [Louisville coach] Rick Pitino said last week,” Brady said. “He said ‘My team shoots lights out in practice, but they need to shoot when the lights are on.’ We just tried to work on some execution today to get better … and if the right people are shooting the ball … and we’re executing to get them in those positions, then that’s the best we can do.” The Tigers will try to break their string of cold-shooting performances against a Vanderbilt team that ranks No. 10 in the SEC in scoring defense. The Commodores are 4-1 this season against ranked opponents, with their only loss against Georgetown in their season-opener. Vanderbilt has won two straight conference games against ranked opponents, defeating then-No. 10 University of Alabama, 94-73, and then-No. 25 University of Kentucky, 72-67. Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said despite his team’s back-to-back quality wins, beating the Tigers on the road will be no easy task. “LSU has been particularly difficult for us the last couple of years and have really kind of had their way with us,” Stallings said. “They certainly have, arguably, the best player in the league in [junior forward] Glen Davis. That begins the long list of challenges that you have when you face them.” Senior forward Darnell Lazare said he is hoping tonight’s performance mirrors the energy and enthusiasm the Razorbacks exhibited Saturday. “Arkansas had lost two games in a row,” Lazare said. “They needed to get a home win, and they got it. We lost a game on the road and now it’s time for us to get a win.”
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