With the basketball season just weeks away, LSU fans will now beshifting their attention from the football field to the hard courtthanks to a new marketing campaign beginning this month.
10 billboards across Baton Rouge have been constructed in anattempt to get fans excited about the upcoming LSU men’sbasketball season, set to begin later this month.
Four separate players are featured on the billboards, includingsophomore Brandon Bass.
“[The billboards] are something that inspire me to getbetter,” Bass said. “It lets people know that BrandonBass is growing as a person and as a player.”
Bass’ sign features him squeezing a basketball with a netdraped over his shoulders with the slogan “get hooked onBASSketball” on the side.
“[My billboard] describes intensity after I’ve madea move or a dunk,” Bass said. “It’s just apicture of intensity.”
And while Bass may be portraying his tough side on thebillboard, coach John Brady said he’s the exact opposite offthe court.
“Brandon Bass is a sweetheart of a guy,” Brady said.”He’s an aggressive guy on the floor, but he’s ascomfortable of a person you’d want to be around off thecourt.”
Bass will return for his sophomore season after earning Freshmanof the Year honors last season in the Southeastern Conference,averaging 12.8 points a game with a .504 field goal percentage.
According to Brady, putting the signs up in an effort at gettingfans to come out and support the team is very important toAthletics Director Skip Bertman.
“I think it makes people more aware that basketball isbeginning,” Brady said. “Now there is a marketing planto get the community involved. It’s important to Bertman thatour fans come and support our team.”
Whipple, who is featured on a sign making a no look pass withthe slogan “cool whip,” said the signs are important ingetting fans to show more support for the team.
“It’s good for the team,” Whipple said.”And it’s good for the city of Baton Rouge to be ableto come out and watch us play.”
Whipple, who averaged 4.1 points a game as the starting pointguard for the Tigers last season, Whipple added the billboards willadd fan support, which will benefit the team.
“It those billboards get more fans in here, and it getslouder in [the Pete Maravich Assembly Center], we’ll playbetter,” Whipple said. “The more the fans get into it,the more [the team] will get into it.”
Two other players, senior Antonio Hudson and junior DarrellMitchell, are also featured on the billboards across the city.
According to Brady, enhanced fan support plays a vital role inthe success of a team.
“Our team wants to do well,” Brady said.”Nobody puts more pressure on the players than the coaches.But when the fans are supporting you, it certainly enhances ourteam’s positive play.”
With LSU’s season ending the last two years in post seasonplay, Whipple said this year’s basketball team iswell-deserved of the support.
“We come in here and work hard every day,” Whipplesaid. “I feel like we deserved something like this to happento get people to come in and watch us.”
Aside from returning four of five starters from a 2003 team thatlost in last season’s NIT tournament at Oklahoma, fans willalso be given the opportunity to see highly-touted freshmen GlenDavis and Garrett Temple in LSU’s season opener Nov. 19against Tulane.
“We’re going to play hard for [the fans],”Whipple said. “The more people we have in [the PMAC], theharder we’ll play.”