BATON ROUGE — LSUsports.net will catch up with former Tigers playing in the NBA over the next two months courtesy of Eric Lopez, who covers the Orlando Magic for AM 1420 WAOC ESPN Radio. The third edition features Brandon Bass in his fifth season overall in the league and first with the Magic.
Although he only spent two seasons in a LSU uniform, Bass made quite the impression with the Tigers and within the SEC. He started LSU’s reign of three-straight SEC Freshmen of the Year awards in 2004 as the Baton Rouge native paced all conference in scoring and rebounding with 12.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Bass also shot 50.4 percent from the field and 78.3 percent from the free-throw line while logging nearly 35 minutes per game.
His sophomore season held even more great things in store for both Bass and LSU as he was named SEC Player of the Year in 2005, the first LSU player to win the award since Shaquille O’Neal in 1992. Bass led the Tigers to a SEC Western Division Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament en route to a 20-10 record along with a 12-4 mark in conference action.
Bass upped both his scoring and rebounding averages to 17.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, while shooting 56.7 percent from the floor and an outstanding 77.7 percent from the free-throw line. The Capitol High School product had the most memorable game in the purple and gold against Ohio State on January 15, 2005, playing all 45 minutes of the overtime contest and scoring 29 points to spark an LSU victory over the Buckeyes, 113-101.
Bass started all 59 games of his LSU career and posted averages of 15.1 points and 8.3 rebounds per game as a Tiger to earn a spot on the All-Century Team. He entered the NBA Draft after his sophomore season and was selected in the second round with the 33rd pick by the New Orleans Hornets.
Bass spent his first two seasons with the Hornets before signing with the Dallas Mavericks on July 26, 2007. He received more playing time and proved to be a valuable role player coming off the bench. He contributed 10.1 points and 5.0 rebounds in 15 playoff contests during his two seasons in Dallas.
Bass’ strong play earned him a four-year deal with the Orlando Magic as one of the more coveted free agents in the offseason leading into the 2009-10 NBA season. The Magic beat out Dallas and Cleveland as Orlando hopes he’s one of the last pieces to push the Magic over the top after making the NBA Finals last season.