BATON ROUGE — Members of the LSU men’s basketball team, boosters and athletic staff gathered in the West Side Stadium Club to salute the members of the 2009 Southeastern Conference champion LSU Tigers.
The event, hosted by Head Coach Trent Johnson and emceed by former LSU basketball star Jordy Hultberg, wrapped up the 2008-09 season, a year in which LSU went 13-3 in the Southeastern Conference, 27-8 overall (tying for the third most wins in the history of LSU basketball). The Tigers advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to eventual national champion, North Carolina.
Several awards were presented at the event, including five that were chosen by the team members. The sixth man award was presented to senior Quintin Thornton, who backed up Chris Johnson all year at the center position. Junior Tasmin Mitchell, returning after almost a year away from the program after a stress fracture and subsequent surgery, was named the winner of the “most inspirational award.”
Sophomore point guard Bo Spencer, who moved into the starting position prior to the season and averaged in double figures was voted the “most improved player”, while senior Garrett Temple was the obvious choice as “best defensive player.
Senior Marcus Thornton, who was the SEC Player of the Year and a second team All-America selection, was named the team MVP and senior center Chris Johnson, was named the winner of the coaches award.
A highlight video was shown and the seniors were presented with framed gold LSU jerseys at the conclusion of the event that Coach Johnson said “brought full closure to the 2008-09 season. Now we move forward to the 2009-10 season.”