At some point toward the end of his scorching second half, Tremont Waters made a comment.
What exactly he said is unknown to everyone outside of the team huddle.
But the response Waters got back from his teammates and coaches was unequivocal.
It’s your time to shine, Tre.
“Every kid lives for the day where their team or coaching staff has a lot of faith in them,” said Waters, who finished with a season-high 26 points in LSU’s 92-82 win over Georgia on Wednesday night. “I made a comment in the game, and they kind of looked at me like, ‘Tre. That’s your time.’ So, I just had to live up to the moment and do what I do.”
What, pray tell, was that comment?
“No comment on my comment,” Waters joked.
His game spoke for itself Wednesday night, as LSU improved to 15-3 overall and 5-0 in the SEC. The sophomore point guard scored 19 of his 26 points in the second half, connecting on 6-of-9 field goal attempts and 7-of-8 free throw attempts. Waters didn’t leave the floor after half time, playing all 20 minutes – none more important than the final few, when he listened to his teammates and took over.
As Georgia creeped within six or seven points of LSU’s lead, Waters consistently brushed them back with stepback jumpers, explosive drives through small creases, and crafty finishes over larger defenders. The New Haven, Conn. native scored 10 of his team’s last 15 points and assisted on two more.
“He was phenomenal,” head coach Will Wade said after the game. “He took over down the stretch, when we just kept the ball in his hands and he made play after play after play.”
Wade wasn’t the only coach singing Waters’ praises after the game. For the second straight postgame press conference, the opposition head coach singled out LSU’s electrifying point guard as the key to the Tigers’ success. After South Carolina head coach Frank Martin called Waters one of his favorite players in the conference on Saturday, Georgia skipper Tom Crean followed suit with some compliments of his own.
“He creates so many different avenues where, if you’re not locked into your man, you end up over helping and he just zips it for a three or for a lob or for a drop off or things like that,” Crean said. “There’s a lot of things you have to get ready for when you play LSU. It starts with Tremont and his ability to pass.
“He hurts you with his scoring. He beats you with his passing.”
Perhaps the most telling stat of all: Waters finished the game without a turnover. It’s the first time in his college career he’s been turnover-free, and he’d finished with at least two turnovers in every game this season entering Wednesday night.
“I would say it’s a stepping stone to who we can become,” Waters said. “I’m just going to continue to learn from it, watch film from this game, see what I was doing, and try to continue to have more games where I have less turnovers.
Skylar Mays on Tremont Waters: “He makes a lot of things look easier than they are.”
Find you someone who looks at you the way Sky and Tre look at each other. pic.twitter.com/RqoNALuDn1
— Cody Worsham (@CodyWorsham) January 24, 2019
“It’s a good sign and shows our team is going in the right direction. To have the ball in my hands as much, I feel like it’s a really good attribute for me to start working on – having less turnovers.”
Waters got plenty of backcourt support from fellow guard Skylar Mays. LSU’s junior sharpshooter matched his season-high with 20 points on an efficient nine shots. While Waters carried water for the Tigers in the second half, Mays shook off a knock to the face in the first half to score 14 points before the break.
“I was just taking shots I’m comfortable with,” Mays said. “I’ve got great teammates who give me good looks, and I was able to knock them down tonight.”
Mays was less comfortable talking about his night and more comfortable talking about Waters’ showing. On a night where Waters, once again, made a difficult game look effortless, he had trouble with just one thing: holding back a grin while Mays followed the example of the two head coaches and bragged on one of the best point guards in college basketball.
“He makes a lot of things look easier than they are,” Mays said. “Just a special player. A guy I love going to work with every day and just watching his growth. I’m just so proud of him.”