The LSU men’s basketball team enters the 2005-06 season with the task of replacing two starters and its top reserve in the front court.
The Tigers lost their starting forwards from last season in senior Antonio Hudson and sophomore Brandon Bass. Ross Neltner, last year’s top frontcourt reserve, transferred to Vanderbilt in April.
“We won’t have a Brandon Bass, a player that’s as physical, but we certainly have two or three that are as athletic as or a little more athletic than he was,” said LSU coach John Brady.
The lone starter returning in the frontcourt is Glen “Big Baby” Davis, who was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year after he averaged 13.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.
Brady said the bench will be deeper than last year’s team, when the starting five players scored 89.2 percent of the team’s points. Ross Neltner, last year’s top reserve, averaged 2.9 points, 3.1 boards in 13.5 minutes last season.
“We’re committed to playing nine or 10 guys a game,” Brady said. “That’s what we are going to be able to do. Our players know that and they are excited about that. That will help us as we move along in the season, particularly down the stretch.”
The Tigers will depend on junior Darnell Lazare, redshirt freshman Tyrus Thomas, junior college transfer Kentrell Gransberry and true freshmen Tasmin Mitchell, Magnum Rolle and Chris Johnson to fill the voids in the frontcourt.
“Tasmin Mitchell is extremely athletic and physical for a young freshman,” Brady said. “Magnum Rolle has been excellent up to this point, and then you throw in Tyrus Thomas with that group. You’ve got a nice collection of forwards that all they need is experience.”
After starting eight games and averaging 12.3 minutes per contest as a freshman in the 2003-04 season, Lazare did not start any games last season and played of 6.9 minutes per game.
“His attitude’s great and his leadership’s been excellent,” Brady said. “He wants to play, and he’s going to play.”
Lazare said his goal during the summer was to put himself in a position to win a starting spot.
“My mindset is set upon being a starter, and I’m just trying to work that way in practice by practicing hard, being mentally tough and trying to get better everyday,” Lazare said. “The best man is going to win the job, and hopefully I’ll be him.”
Lazare is the only player other than Davis with starting experience in the frontcourt.
“He’s going to have to put up numbers to help this team win,” Davis said. “I think he’s ready to do it. Now he has a chance to come in and play, and help the team like he wanted to do all along.
Rolle and Johnson both come to LSU from Laurinburg Institute, a prep school in North Carolina.
Rolle is 6 feet 9 inches and weighs 215 pounds. He averaged 10.1 points per game, 10.2 rebounds and 4.5 blocked shots at Laurinburg last season, while his 6-foot-11-inch, 190-pound teammate averaged 8.6 points, 3.9 rebound and 2.7 blocks.
“It’s going to be tough, but with the support of my teammates and coaches, I think I can come in here and help fill Brandon Bass’ shoes and contribute more on running the floor,” Rolle said.
Gransberry, who was a teammate of Lazare’s at Woodlawn High School, transferred from San Jacinto College in Harris County, Texas. The junior was the No. 1 rebounder in junior college last season at 13.7 per game.
“I just want to come in and show the coaches that I can play and that I’m ready to step up,” said Gransberry, who is 6 feet 8 inches and weighs 268 pounds.
Thomas also will be in the battle for playing time after receiving a medical redshirt last season because of a neck injury. Thomas played at McKinley High School, where he averaged 16 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots.
The 6-foot-7-inch, 230-pound Mitchell, who was rated as the No. 20 high school senior in the nation by rivalshoops.com, could replace Hudson at small forward.
Mitchell was named a McDonald’s, Parade and EA Sports All-American at Denham Springs High School, where he averaged 26.9 points per game, 10 rebounds, six assists, 3.6 blocks and 2.3 steals as a senior.
“I’m just going to try to play my role – score points, get rebounds, play good defense or whatever it is,” Mitchell said.
Contact Clinton Duckworth at [email protected]