BATON ROUGE – With the exhibition contest just over three weeks away, LSU Men’s Basketball Coach Johnny Jones and his LSU Tigers were part of a busy few hours at the LSU Basketball practice facility for the annual local Media Day activities.
LSU will play its lone exhibition game against Morehouse on Nov. 7 (free to the public) at 7 p.m. and will open Jones’ third season as head coach against Gardner-Webb on Saturday, Nov. 15, at Noon.
Coach Jones met with the media and then the players met the media in their practice gym prior to their sixth practice of the season. The team will be on public display, along with the Lady Tigers on Friday night beginning at 6:45 p.m. in the second “Bayou Madness” at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Admission is free for all and two LSU students will have a chance to share in $1,000.
Follow updates on LSU Basketball on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/LSUBasketball, on Twitter @LSUBasketball and Instagram @LSUBasketball. Purchase new season ticket packages for the 2014-15 season online at LSUtix.net, including the chance to pick your seat in the Maravich Center.
Here are some of the comments of Coach Jones at media day and from some of the LSU Tigers:
HEAD COACH JOHNNY JONES
Opening statement …
“It’s great to see all the familiar faces again and for another year. I’m excited that you guys will be able to cover another season. We look forward to a great season but prior to that, I’d like to say something about our commissioner, Mike Slive, who is retiring in July. He did a tremendous job and the impact that he’s made on this great conference. I’m sure he will finish up strong this year but really excited about the accomplishments that he has made. I really wish him well on his retirement and through his surgery and certainly wish him a speedy recovery.
Coach Caldwell, what a great job she’s done with her program, with two Sweet 16’s back-to-back. I know how hard it is to win and compete at that level day in and day out in a tough conference. She’s done a great job, and she should be commended. I’m looked forward to working with her and her great team as well.
We invite everyone Friday night to our second annual Bayou Madness around 6:45 with for the kids, the families, the cheerleaders and band all out here. I think it’s going to be a great evening on Friday, about 7:30, we will come inside and watch our men and women shoot the three-point contest, dunk contest and some scrimmaging. I’ll go ahead and spoil the surprise for you but make sure you get here because our president (Dr. F. King Alexander) is going to take on the winner of the three-point shooting contest. He’s an excellent shooter and a great competitor. If I was a student, I wouldn’t miss it because it’s an opportunity for a student to go home with 1,000 dollars for being here and competing into the drawing (two-ball competition).
We are excited about the next step of our journey in this program. I felt like our first year we came in, some great things happened for us and we wound up winning 19 games. The second year, I felt we continued to build, get better and we won 20 games. I was able to get to the post season play, won some big games against teams in the top 10, top 15 and top 20 as well. We are really excited about our guys in the way that they’ve bought in – the way that they’ve come in and competed. We are really looking forward to the way they will continue to complete.
They’ve not only just bought in on the basketball floor, but I think it’s been across the board the way that they’ve bought in. That is really important when you are talking about building a program and winning. They’ve done a tremendous job academically, APR (Academic Progress Rate) at 1,000. Our seniors have walked across the stage with degrees in hand, both years, and they have done a phenomenal job. We don’t have anyone on academic probation or at risk as well. They speaks volumes, for one our Cox Communications Center (for Student-Athletes) – the job they’ve done over there, and the type of people that we have in our program so we are excited about that as we look forward to continue to build this year. Practices, so far, we have had 5 behind us. We have had some good days. Just like anything else when you get started, you go through some rough ones. We’ve had one of those as well, but I really like the guys we have out on the floor and the energy they’re putting forward to every day. They are trying to get better, competing and doing whatever they can to try to get better as a basketball team. There is a group for us to have the opportunity to challenge in such a great and tough conference.”
On the team’s depth and the challenge to manage minutes …
“I think we will be able to do a great job with the number of timeouts we have and with the TV timeouts – the 16, 12, 8 and 4s in both halves in terms of media and the ones that you have to call. I think you can certainly manage their time well. We are hopeful that our depth is right and that we will have an opportunity to put guys in position and get guys to hopefully around 28 to 30 minutes. I think it will be great for us. Sometimes it’s tough, and it was difficult for us a little bit last year to get down to that number for a couple of our guys, but we are hopeful that with the makeup of our team that we can do that. I think anytime you are fresh down the stretch those last four-to-five minutes, it’s really important for the guys to be at their best.”
On Elbert Robinson and his ability to allow Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey to play at their natural positions …
“I think when you look out there last year at Johnny O’Bryant III and the impact player that he was. I thought Jordan Mickey was really able to benefit from Johnny’s double teams – the way that he played and the attention that he required from our opposing teams. Jarell, I thought once he was healthy during the later part of the season, really came to his own playing the wing position, but I think he has the ability to play on the inside as well. We saw in San Francisco and SMU – those guys have been in the game together, especially late, that they did a great job of executing with each other so I look for them to be in the game a lot. With Elbert being a freshman, certainly the speed of the game and those things, he’ll have to continue to grow. We are excited about him because if I had to pick one player that has really improved from when we started back in the summer through individual skill work to now and each practice we’ve had, I would certainly have to give a nod to Elbert. The way that he’s worked, the way he’s lost his weight and the way he has continued to improve on the floor.
On Josh Gray‘s scoring ability will translate to the college level …
“No disrespect to the people that he had the opportunity to play with in junior college, but I think he is going to be surrounded by some other individuals that he will have the opportunity to trust more and probably won’t have to do as much. The caliber of teams that we will be playing against, I think he will have ability to distribute which he is very capable of doing. He’s a good passer and can create opportunities for others, but it is great having a guard that has the ability to score and be such a scoring threat out there inside and out. He can get to the rim, get to the free throw line as well and also knock down jumpers. He has a really good knack for creating opportunities for others and is a great passer as well.
On Josh Gray‘s excitement and what he’s seen from him in practice …
“Josh is special. He’s got tremendous ball skills and is really good off the bounce. Just like anything else, it’s really about getting acclimated to the players that he’s with and understanding who needs the ball where, who can handle certain passes and making plays. It’s just getting used to each other. I think it has a lot to do with the chemistry that we have on this basketball team. As he grows and gets better and acknowledges the guys that he is on the floor with, the better we will be. That circle will take a little bit of time.”
On Jarell Martin‘s recovery from his ankle injury last year…
“I think a couple of things … We thought with the emergence of Jordan Mickey and the way he played from day one, and through his practices and how he performed in those early games for us, it gave us an opportunity to probably put Jarell in a situation where he wasn’t comfortable playing out on the perimeter because that’s not where he played in high school. We tried to get him adapted to playing the three. It took him awhile to get over his ankle injury – I think he may have missed two or three games — and coming back he wasn’t 100 percent; it took him awhile and for him I have to commend him because as a freshman, he had to learn two positions that were really opposite. He had to learn the inside place for the four man and then what our perimeter skill guys did as well. He was really able to pass that test … and I thought he really became one of our best players at the end of the season. (He is) Certainly one of the top two or three guys here.”
On Jarell Martin‘s improvement…
“I think Jarell’s probably dropped about 15 pounds. He’s quicker, stronger and faster than he was before. He’s more explosive, understanding that he could probably play on the perimeter. I think he worked really hard during the offseason because of that and I think you’ll see a more improved Jarell Martin and we’re really excited about it. He showed some glimpses last year but unfortunately he was hurt. Trying to learn new positions out there on the floor, I thought he excelled and played well. He was able to make the all freshmen team in our league, especially with all the great freshman that we had. We’re looking for some big things from him this year.”
On Tim Quarterman‘s improvement…
“Tim’s biggest issue for him last year I think on the plus side he was a great defender, his length helped us. I thought he played some big games for us last year. Defensively, we put him up against some tough defensive assignments and I thought he did extremely well. I think he’s improved in terms of his strength and he’s become more comfortable with his ball handling skills at this level. He’s one of those guys who is so versatile and will certainly play three positions for us this year: the one, two and the three. That’s huge for us to have a guy of his abilities to put out there on the floor — especially when we want to play quick. Put him at the three, Jarell at the four, and Jordan at the five and create those opportunities out there with the other two guards.”
On when you know what you have as a team…
“You’re talking about five new faces and some of those guys are going to have to be key components. We have to expect some things from them early and with that being said I think we’ll certainly be into the season. We’ll see some great things from them here in practice. We have a scrimmage game that we have early on prior to November 7th when we play Morehouse. I think we’ll get into our schedule and we’ll know a little bit more about our basketball team once our season starts. I guess that’s the beauty of non-conference (games). But I think it’s tough with RPI and all those things that you’re dealing with where you have to try and win those early games as well. But it’s still a learning time and a learning phase for our basketball team. We’ll go through some growing pains with this basketball team.”
On how quickly guys like Aaron Epps and Jalyn Patterson can make an impact…
“We’re probably fighting the same situation we did with Jarell a year ago with Epps trying to get him on the perimeter where he played with his back to the basket mostly in high school, capable of stepping out and shooting. It’s probably going to take him a little time. I think the quicker study would possibly be Jalyn Patterson because it’s going to be his natural position where he will play the one and the two. He’s a very capable shooter, excellent ball handler and (has) great court awareness out there on the floor … It’s going to take until we get into the season to find out exactly where they are and how fast they will come around and be able to play.”
On what he likes about Jalyn Patterson as a point guard…
“He’s a kid that I thought was a high profile guy and had a lot of abilities. He’s extremely quick and can play at a great level and we’re excited to have him on our team. I think he’s an impactful player. He hit a last second shot to win the national championship (in high school) two years ago so he’s a guy that’s not afraid to put the ball in his hand late and create opportunities. One of the reasons I think their school (Montverde) had success was because of his unselfishness the way that he plays … You had to play them a certain way because he can get in the lane and score and he can certainly knock down the long shot. He’s a crafty ball handler as well.”
On the improvement of free throw shooting…
“I hope that I recruited some free throw shooters. I think that helps a lot and goes a long way. Just the other day we were going through a free throw shooting segment at the end of practice that we do each session and I think (Keith) Hornsby wound up going 50 for 53 at the line. I think Josh Gray was 50 for 54 and we had some other guys that shot big numbers and that’s a big plus for you when you have good free throw shooters. At North Texas we led the nation in free throws made per game for two years in a row and the third year we came in second. It’s because we had guys that were capable of stepping up to the line. Our offense led us to get opportunities to get fouled. It’s important that you step up and knock down free throws. You look through the course of the season when you see games that are three or four point games. You go back and look at the stat sheet and see the number of free throws you may have missed and it’s certainly could have been the difference in the basketball game.”
On how the backcourt and different this year compared to Anthony Hickey…
“One of the good things about our basketball team in the 35-second clock, we try to implement our offense. We run a lot of plays but at the end of the shot clock you have to create opportunities. You guys have to understand how we play. We think Josh Gray gives us that because of his ability to get to the rim and try to finish and his ability to get to the free throw line, mid-range game and creating opportunities for other people. We won’t change anything that we’ve done in terms of offensively. We’ll still be sprint to screen type team, penetrate and hit the gaps and try and create some easy scoring opportunities at the basket.”
On who the late game situation guy is…
“The good thing is the season hasn’t started yet and I think we’ll continue to work. We’re certainly a team in progress. We feel like we got adequate guys who are very capable on the floor and that are capable of knocking down shots. Those guys usually step up and stand out as our season nears. Once we get into the season into the season, you’ll find out who’s got that comfort zone and the people you can really count on. I don’t think we have guys on our team that are afraid to pull the trigger. You want to make sure that you execute when you make those shots instead of taking them and being able to make those shots at the end of the game that will make a difference. We had several games last year where it came down to last some second opportunities and unfortunately we didn’t execute at the rate we would have liked to over the period. We could have possibly gotten another two or three games (Kentucky, Alabama and Ole Miss as well. “
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FORWARD JARELL MARTIN
On the team’s expectations this season …
“We are going to be really good this year. We have been working really hard in the offseason. I am very confident in my team, and we are confident in each other. We are going to go out and leave everything on the floor.”
On being a team leader with Jordan Mickey …
“Mickey and I are taking on more of a leadership role. We are working really hard and making sure that our team is working hard as well. We went into the preseason working hard, getting our teammates more involved and teaching them the right things because we are veterans now. We definitely try to make each other and everyone better.”
On his improvements during the offseason …
“It definitely was a big challenge coming into college and having to learn two positions – playing on the wing and playing down low. I had to take my time and not rush things while learning. My shooting percentage has gotten better. I am knocking down a lot of shots in practice and attacking the goal.”
On new assistant coach Eric Musselman…
“He’s really energetic at practice. He’s very vocal and gets us going. He makes sure we are talking on the floor on offense and defense. It’s something that can help the team.”
FORWARD JORDAN MICKEY
On the team’s opening practices …
“So far, I definitely like what I am seeing from our team. We have the makings to be a great team. We have all the pieces we need. I am looking forward to getting the season started.”
On leadership advice he received from Johnny O’Bryant III…
“I talked to Johnny (O’Bryant III) about two weeks ago. He told me to play the game and lead by example.”
On newcomer Elbert Robinson III and his improvement over the summer…
“Elbert improved dramatically over the summer. He’s lost a lot of weight. He’s gotten better with his footwork and has been able to get up the floor better now. He has made great strides to do well for us this year.”
On Josh Gray and what he brings to the team …
“Josh is always trying to point guys in the right direction. He is a great leader. He’s a different athlete than what we had on the team last year. He’s a bigger guy, a bigger defender. I think Josh can score at this level. He’s able to finish over big guys and be able to rise up and shoot the ball well. He will definitely help us out.”
On improving free throws during the offseason …
“We have been shooting more free throws at practice. At the end of practice, everybody has to try to make 50 free throws before we leave. That’s definitely going to show down the road when we get in those close games.”
GUARD KEITH HORNSBY
On having to sit out last season…
“It was a big motivator for me. If you don’t have the right mindset about it, it can deflate you. I came into the season of ineligibility knowing that I would have to have a long-term view with it. I knew at this time a year ago, a year from now I would be playing again. I worked hard to improve as much as possible during that down year, so that this year when I come back, I can help the team out as much as I can. It was tough at times, but I had people around me who helped me out and got me through it.”
On his relationship with Josh Gray…
“It all starts with the mutual respect that we have for each other. It started on the court because that’s where I first met him. We have such respect for each other’s games. Since we have been playing together, we have seen signs of brilliance. Off the court, we have matching personalities and like to laugh and joke around with each other. That off-the-court relationship helps on the court. You like to be around people who are easy to talk to and easy to be around. I joke with him a lot, and we are kind of like brothers.”
On Gray and he’s compatibility on the court…
“On the court, our games complement each other. He can drive and kick it to me for a shot, and I can do the same with him because he can shoot it just as well. In practice and on the floor in pickup games, we have seen signs of that. I can’t wait for everyone else to see it too.”