BATON ROUGE – LSU men’s basketball coach Trent Johnson met with members of the media Wednesday afternoon before practice at the LSU basketball practice facility to discuss the Tigers upcoming game Saturday at Auburn. The game, set for 5 p.m. and televised by FSN, will be the first SEC game played at the new Auburn Arena.
The game will also be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network (WTGE New Country 100.7 FM The Tiger in Baton Rouge). LSU Basketball can be followed on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/LSUBasketball and on Twitter @LSUBasketball and @LSUCoachJohnson.
Here are some of Coach Johnson’s comments during his portion of the session:
Opening Statement …
“You have been given the injury report, so I have a status on Storm (Warren) and Ralston (Turner). Ralston (stress reaction right foot) is a definite no-go for Saturday, and Storm (tendonitis in right Achilles, listed now as questionable) could have more improvement but we will have to wait and see. For both guys they are doing everything possible to get themselves in a position where they can get back on the floor. I just feel good about myself for making the decision when Storm came out in Virginia and tried to practice when we got there, I feel good about not practicing him. I told him that he needs to get out of there because he was limping around visibly. It could have been a situation where if he had practiced longer it could have made it worse.
“All that being said, it is a new season for us. We have put ourselves in so many situations where we were real close to getting over the hump, and it is a combination of the tough plays, grabbing the two-handed rebound, making the pass in tough situations and making the crucial defensive stops. I said this at the beginning of the year with this team that we are going to need everybody. So now here is a situation where Matt Derenbecker has the opportunity to fill in for Ralston and score the ball. Matt needs to step to the forefront now and Chris (Bass) is going to have to play more minutes. Obviously Aaron (Dotson) is going to need to shoot the ball better and start playing better, and then Andre (Stringer) — I think for the first time this year Virginia did a really good job of finding him early in transition. For us to be successful in conference play we are going to have to continue to try and improve on those areas. Obviously the turnover ratio is getting a little better, but again it is a matter of us not making plays and tough plays at crucial times.”
On if the problems are due to the youth of the team …
“I think it is from a standpoint of in the backcourt, but also going into this year, if you take the freshman out of the equation, there is no guy on this team that you would consider an all-league guy or a guy you could look at and consistently give you 15 (points) and 10 (rebounds). That is why it has been done by committee. We are 15 games in and four games into this thing we knew what we were in for. I can sit up here and I can say youth, inexperience or guys being role players, but what it amounts to is just mental and physical toughness. I can go through 20 scenarios in just the Virginia game where a guy was thrown in and a guy has to make a clean touch, or in transition coming to a good stop and making a simple bounce pass. When you look at Ralston (Turner) and Andre (Stringer) they are two guys that have stepped to the forefront. They have to make plays for everyone else, let alone themselves, but they understood coming in this was going to be expected and demanded of them.”
On what the projected starting lineup will be Saturday …
“If all goes well and we don’t have any more setbacks we will probably start Aaron (Dotson), Matt (Derenbecker), Andre (Stringer), Malcolm (White) and either Eddie (Ludwig) or Garrett (Green). I think Storm (Warren) could be in a situation where he could play, and if he can play I might start him to get that thing loosened up. Chris (Bass), as much as I would like to put him out there first, we need him to come in off the bench and give us that energy. Daron Populist is also going to get a chance to play some.”
On if Dennis Harris‘ setbacks are grade related or basketball related …
“Well it is a combination, but he is so far behind at this point from a conditioning standpoint. That is the thing, and I have always said this, unless you are an elite player you have to be out there every day. Quite frankly, because of his injuries, guys have passed him by. Eddie Ludwig and Jalen Courtney, those guys are passing him by in terms of their ability to be a better player and help this team. I think his grade report comes back (Thursday), but that won’t be the decision on him going or making this trip. The decision will be if he can help this team.”
On what the team needs to do to get Andre Stringer and Aaron Dotson more open shots …
“We have got to establish an inside presence. We have to be able to score the ball and take some pressure off of the perimeters. Basically that means go inside out, but if you look at Malcolm (White’s), Garrett (Green’s) and Storm (Warren’s) percentages, they need to be at 50% or higher. I am more concerned about when we throw it in, we need to catch it with two hands and not turn the ball over. We are dropping way too many balls in practice, but we are going to continue working and continue to practice. We are going to modify what we run a little more in terms of taking some of our offensive packages out and keeping it as simple as we can get it. Guys have to catch the ball with confidence, or catch it first, then shoot it second.”
On if Auburn reminds him of his team …
“No, because they are a lot quicker and smaller and their skill sets in all five spots are quite impressive. They play with a lot of heart and a lot of confidence right now because Florida State is a good team. There is a lot of energy and a lot of passion there because it is their coach’s first year. I anticipate the atmosphere to be a really good atmosphere. Frankie Sullivan is one of the better players and doesn’t seem like he has lost a beat since his knee surgery, and Tony (Barbee) is doing what he has to with the guys he has on the basketball team. Those guys are playing extremely hard, and that is the thing for me, regardless of if you look at league play or out of conference. The teams that are winning games are playing extremely hard, taking care of the ball and defending on a consistent basis. As much as we want to talk about it, it is hard for kids to understand that.”