BATON ROUGE – The LSU men’s basketball team after taking Wednesday off began preparations Thursday for a trip to Nashville for a Saturday date at Memorial Gymnasium against Vanderbilt.
The game is set for 5 p.m. on ESPNU and the affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network.
LSU is coming off its fourth road win of the season, second in SEC play, against Florida, 79-61, Tuesday night in Gainesville.
In that game, Jarell Martin had 22 points to lead the Tigers, while Jordan Mickey had his 10th double double of the season with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Keith Hornsby and Tim Quarterman each had 15 points with Quarterman dishing out eight assists. The Tigers are 14-4 and 3-2 in the league. Vandy, losers to Kentucky on Tuesday at Rupp Arena, is now 11-7 and 1-4 in the league.
Coach Johnny Jones met with the media on Thursday and here are some of his comments:
HEAD COACH JOHNNY JONES
Opening Statement …
“After a great outing the other night and finishing off one of our tough conference foes on the road, we look forward to another great challenge on Saturday against a Vanderbilt basketball team who has been in some tight games. They’ve played some tough opponents in our conference leading up into our game on Saturday. They are an excellent offensive basketball team. They have great perimeter shooters. They certainly have a force inside with Damian Jones. We have to make sure we are able to transition in both areas—offense to defense—and make sure that we get to the three-point line again in this game. We are going to try to limit their looks and at the same time try to limit Jones’ effectiveness in the post. We know that we have a challenge in front of us, and we certainly look forward to it Saturday.”
On Vanderbilt’s style of play…
“They can get the ball in the half court. They are going to execute their offense. They are going to keep the floor spaced. They are not going to look for early shots, if they are not available; they are not going to force it. They are going to be deliberate and try to get the ball inside. They can really stretch the floor with their big post (Riley LaChance), a guy who can step out and shoot threes as well. LaChance is an excellent player. I think he is leading the league at around 42 percent shooting from the three-point line. They are going to take their time and look for him and see if they can get him some looks prior to trying to get anything else offensively.”
On defending teams that can shoot well…
“You have to be committed on the defensive end of the floor and be able to defend into the clock. You have to be disciplined in terms of staying down. They are a team that does a great job of reading your defense and trying to make sure that they react to that. It can be a back screen getting into the basket, and if you are looking for the back screen, they may shoot a down screen at you and pop open one of their three-point shooters. You have to stay connected and disciplined into your principles and making sure you’re there on the catch and be willing and prepared to do that the whole game, not just sometimes. You have to be committed to it the whole game to be successful.”
On talking to the team after the loss from Texas A&M and the win at Florida…
“Just like anytime else, anytime we have setbacks, regardless of who we are playing, we want to make sure that we understand why we are feeling that way because of setbacks. Then, when you have victories, you want to make sure that we are able to celebrate and understand what got us there, be it the execution on both ends of the floor offensively and defensively. We wanted to make sure we celebrated until that plane landed here in Baton Rouge and get a great night sleep and wake up the next morning with our next opponent on our mind, which is Vandy. I am hopeful that our guys did that. We had yesterday off in terms of practice. We know that we have to have that type of energy and mindset going into this basketball game as well.”
On Darcy Malone‘s starts…
“I think he’s given us some great minutes out there on the floor, both offensively and defensively. We had to switch the other night against a really good Florida basketball team with tremendous shooters. Those guys have great quickness. Darcy did a great job of staying down and staying in front. On the offensive end, because of his knowledge and understanding what we are doing … the flow of our offense, he’s been good. He doesn’t force anything, but he can stretch the floor for you, which he hadn’t had to do in terms of knocking down three-pointers. He’s a very capable three-point shooter. Our guys are confident in him as well. He’s given us some really good minutes. In the second half, he made a big play inside offensively, one-on-one in the post against one of their better defenders. He’s steadily improving and continuing to make some strides. We are hopeful that it can continue.”
On Jalyn Patterson‘s charisma…
“I think he’s poised under pressure. I think it’s his mindset and his mentality. There are not a lot of things that speed him up. He seems to handle pressure extremely well. He was able to do that in high school. Big shots don’t bother him. He has had some good looks. He is very comfortable. I think he showed that in the game the other night. He was able to get some good looks. The defenders were playing off of him. He hit some big threes for us. Even on the defensive end, I think he was excellent because of what he gives us. He’s really quick. He tries to do a great job in terms of staying down. He understands scouting reports and is able to transfer the scouting report into the games as well.”
On taking selective shots and not settling for quick shots…
“I think that was a point of emphasis for us. It was something that was addressed after one of the setbacks we’ve had this year. We have to do a better job at being more consistent with it throughout games. It’s not a sometimes thing. It has to be an all of the time thing. Once we really get that embedded and focus and concentrate and understand, that’s the difference between winning and celebrating and having setbacks. We will become a better basketball team. Again, this team is growing and making some positive strides. Unfortunately, we have to go through those growing pains to get there.”
On Vanderbilt and coaching at Memorial Gym…
“It’s difficult, and it’s different because you are sitting on the baseline. Where you generally have an opportunity to communicate with your team on the sideline, defensive or offensive instructions and communicating with your point guard, they are away from you the whole time. It’s a little bit different with the noise and the sound and your point guard being up at the top and not there in front of you. He’s away from you and doesn’t come by you. You have limited access to your team. It’s different. It’s certainly an advantage for them because they understand how to utilize that arena and that setup. But you have to do it once a year when it is your turn to be there. I’m sure it’s a great home court advantage for them.”