LSU coach Trent Johnson did more than lead LSU to a regular season Southeastern Conference championship and a first-round NCAA tournament victory during his first season.Johnson has retooled the men’s basketball team for the future since receiving commitments from four top recruits in an attempt to help fill the void left from losing five seniors.Guard Aaron Dotson and forward Eddie Ludwig signed in November for the 2009 class. Forward Jalen Courtney committed for 2010, and guard John Isaac committed for 2011. Sonny Shipp, Louisiana recruiting analyst for Scout.com, said Johnson is recruiting forward Matt Derenbecker, guards Langston Galloway and Bryan Williams and others for 2010.AARON DOTSONDotson is the highest-rated recruit Johnson has signed. The Seattle native is a four-star player and the No. 22 shooting guard in the nation, according to Scout.com.The 6-foot-4-inch guard sustained a season-ending knee injury in January during his senior campaign at Rainier Beach High School. He underwent surgery Feb. 16 in Baton Rouge. Rainier Beach High School coach Mike Bethea said losing Dotson affected the dynamic and success of the team.”We qualified for state but didn’t place,” Bethea said. “When you put Aaron into the lineup … I think we probably would have been a top-10 team in the country.”Shipp said Dotson recovered from his knee injury.”The surgery was a success, and he should be ready to go when he gets [to LSU],” Shipp said. “He’s got a good chance to come in and get a lot of playing time if not start.”EDDIE LUDWIGThe Country Day High School power forward is the second signee of the 2009 class.Ludwig averaged 23.2 points, 14.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks his junior season.The 6-foot-8-inch forward led Country Day to the Louisiana Class 1A title as a senior. He was an All-State selection and the 2009 Small Schools All-Metro Player of the Year for the greater New Orleans area.Ludwig finished his career as Country Day’s all-time scoring leader with 2,530 points.Shipp said the Metairie native will provide depth for LSU.”When they get him in here and they get him in [LSU’s] system … he’s definitely going to be a contributor,” Shipp said.Shipp said Ludwig knows the game of basketball very well.”He may not be the quickest guy on the floor, but he’s got a good basketball IQ,” Shipp said. JALEN COURTNEYCourtney committed to LSU on March 8. He was Johnson’s first recruit of the 2010 class. The Jackson, Miss., native led Provine High School to the state title game this year, accounting for 24 points and 14 rebounds in the game.”He can shoot from the outside,” Shipp said. “He can also get inside and play above the rim.”The power forward averaged 19 points and 12 rebounds as a junior. The 6-foot-7-inch, 210-pound forward had offers from Arkansas, Mississippi, Georgia State and Missouri.”[He’s] maybe a younger version of Tasmin Mitchell,” Shipp saidJOHN ISAACLSU received a commitment from Isaac two years before the Pickering High School guard will graduate. The 2011 recruit did not want the attention of being a top recruit.”He’s not someone who needs all the parading and everything,” said Pickering High School coach George Thomas. “He felt like [LSU] was the place he wanted to go.”The 6-foot-4-inch, 205-pound shooting guard averaged 18.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 8.9 assists per game last season.Shipp said the Leesville native could get bigger before coming to Baton Rouge.”He may be 6-6 by the time he gets [to LSU] and could be one of those big off-guards that would create a lot of mismatch problems,” Shipp said.Thomas said he coached Isaac since seventh grade, and the recruit never stopped trying to get better.”[Isaac] comes home after a game — especially if he felt like it was bad — and he’s out there working and shooting free throws,” Thomas said.—-Contact Michael Lambert at [email protected]