Well, tonight’s game with Boise State has certain significance to it.
It’s probably one that people like me and media types care more about than the players on the two teams and yes, even the coaches of the teams involved.
As best I can determine after a fairly close look at the record book, this will be the first time that an LSU head coach has faced his college alma mater in a basketball game. Coach John Brady did play his alma mater (Belhaven) in an exhibition game, but it was an exhibition game.
Now that is nothing to cause the earth to spin off its axis but it is a unique element to the first of a three-game homestand for the Tigers.
Everyone knows Boise State because of their football program that has been a part of BCS talk for several seasons now. Smart LSU basketball fans will know that Boise is where LSU basketball headed on a couple of occasions, most notably in 1992 with Shaquille O’Neal, to Taco Bell Arena for first and second-round games. On a side note, Boise has many times proven to be one of the most hospitable locations for early-round games in NCAA history and LSU fans who have made that trip can agree with that.
But Boise State has some basketball history and our Coach Trent Johnson has been a part of it.
There are a few pictures lurking around of Coach J in his Boise State playing days and I’ve recently had the opportunity to see some video of a Boise NCAA Tournament game with UNLV and got to see the Coach in action.
Coach Johnson played at Boise from 1974-78 and in 107 games he averaged 10.8 points and posted 1,155 career points, which at that time was the fourth most points scored by a Bronco player. Even now 30-plus years later, he still stands 11th on the school scoring list. He pulled down 702 career rebounds, fourth all-time at Boise and his 6.6 rebound average is 10th all-time. His 107 games played are fifth all-time in the Boise logs.
It was 1976 when the team tied for first in the Big Sky Conference under Coach Bus Connor, then won the right to go to the NCAA Tournament with a double-overtime victory over Weber State, 77-70. Boise State then would meet Jerry Tarkanian and UNLV in Eugene, Ore. in an NCAA first-round matchup. The Broncos fell, 103-78, in a game that for much of the contest was closer than the final score would indicate.
It was the first time in school history that the team would advance to the NCAAs. Johnson would earn all-Big Sky honors for his play that season.
So tonight, Coach Johnson will face a school with some memories for him. But in all honesty, as those of you who follow this program, it is just another game for the LSU Coach. But since it is the next game, it is the MOST important one of the year.
It was a good week for LSU last week in road wins at Houston and Rutgers. The Tigers didn’t shoot particularly well in either game, but the defense this team has shown has been something special. But when push came to shove, whether it was pressure free throws by Storm Warren with 1.2 seconds left at Houston or two big field goals by Anthony Hickey at Rutgers, the Tigers responded with wins. The stats may not seem pretty, but if you watched the games, you saw how much everyone contributed to the effort.
Now as this game starts tonight, exams are over and basketball takes over for the next few weeks until the spring semester starts. After tonight, UC-Irvine is here Dec. 15 and Marquette Dec. 19. Some good games and some good opponents at the PMAC, starting tonight with Boise State. Enjoy the games!