Capitol High School product Brandon Bass was a star on the high school basketball court.
As a senior last year, he averaged 19 points per game to go along with 14 rebounds and three assists per contest.
He was chosen as a member of the prestigious McDonald’s All-American team and scored 14 points in the McDonald’s All-American game.
Schools along the lines of Connecticut and Duke were interested in acquiring his services, with coach Jim Calhoun and the Huskies making an especially strong push toward the end of the recruiting period to land him.
But Bass chose to do what many LSU basketball fans around the state hoped he would do – stay home and help take the Tigers program to higher places.
“I just wanted to stay home,” Bass said. “Connecticut was the big basketball school and it gives you a big chance to get to the next level. But I was thinking I could get there from anywhere.”
The way Bass has started his college career, any school would probably like to have him.
In four games, all of which he started, the 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward has averaged 12.3 points to go along with nine rebounds per game. He is shooting 58.6 percent from the field and 71.4 percent from the free throw line. He is also averaging 34.5 minutes per game, tops on the team.
“I think he’s been great,” said LSU coach John Brady. “He’s been great to coach. You know like any freshman, he’s got a lot of things to learn, but he certainly has a lot of gifted ability. His size, his athleticism, he shoots it well, his work ethic is tremendous and he’s just got to learn some things. He’s doing well and he’s trying hard.”
As evidenced by the early season trend, playing time will never be a problem for Bass.
“He’s going to have the minutes to play through mistakes,” Brady said. “We signed him to come here and play 30 minutes a game and that’s what he’s going to do. So he knows he’s going to be able to play through mistakes and learn as he goes along. But certainly, his willingness to learn and his athleticism help.”
Bass said one thing he must do to improve is get past those mistakes he may make and focus on the task at hand. He said he tends to sometimes dwell on the past.
“When I mess up I get frustrated real bad by it,” Bass said. “That’s just something I’ve got to overcome as games go by. I’ve just got to not really worry about it. Just keep playing. What I do once I mess up is instead of just forget about it is I keep going on and on and it stays in my head until I make a better play.”
Bass did have to shoulder the load for LSU’s first two exhibition games and its first regular season game because All-Southeastern Conference center Jaime Lloreda was suspended from an altercation that occurred over the summer. Brady said that experience was good for Bass, as well as Lloreda’s return.
Lloreda is averaging 26.3 points and 12.7 rebounds per game since his return, and Bass has been able to fill a complimentary role with Lloreda in the lineup.
“He stepped up to the plate and led us in scoring those three games Jaime didn’t play,” Brady said. “That was good for him. And now that Jaime’s there with him he can play a little but more relaxed and a little more confident because I think to have somebody like Jaime on your flank gives a young player some confidence to play better.”
There is no doubt Brady expects a lot out of Bass because he knows the freshman must play well for LSU to be successful.
“I told him before practice today that I want him to be the Newcomer or the Freshman of the Year in the league,” Brady said. “And we’re going to do everything we can to help him do that.”