The 2000 LSU Tigers-Front Row (L-R): Collis Temple III, Jack Warner, Torris Bright, Brandon Landry, Jeremy Comeaux, Lamont Roland, Brian Green. Back Row (L-R): Trainer Drew Shea, Coach Kermit Davis, Head Coach John Brady, Ronald Dupree, Brian Beshara, Brad Bridgewater, Jabari Smith, Stromile Swift, Jermaine Williams, Coach Butch Pierre, Strength Coach Nick Bucholtz, Coach Donnie Tyndall, Adm. Assistant Scott Osborne.
BATON ROUGE – Former LSU Coach John Brady and SEC Player of the Year Stromile Swift met with the media on Friday remembering 25 years ago when the 2000 LSU Basketball team captured the SEC Championship team and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16.
That team will be honored at halftime of Saturday’s 5 p.m. game with the University of Texas at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. In all close to 100 former players will be on hand in Baton Rouge this weekend to celebrate basketball Alumni Day for the Tigers.
The 2000 SEC Championship team won 28 games and rallied from a 1-3 start in the league, winning the last nine conference games to finish 12-4 in the league.
LSU was the No. 4 seed in the West in the NCAA Championships and was sent to Salt Lake City. The Tigers had to face Southeast Missouri State and it took a Brian Beshara three-pointer late to get a 64-61 win.
In the second round, the Tigers defeated Texas, 72-67, with Swift getting a major block at the rim late in the game to seal LSU’s win.
Swift averaged 16.2 points per game, 8.2 rebounds and 2.8 blocks a game, while his partner in the low block, Jabari Smith, averaged 12.5 points and 7.0 rebounds.
“I would like to thank Coach (Matt) McMahon and his staff for allowing this (reunion) to happen,” said Brady, who now serves as color analyst on the basketball broadcasts on the LSU Sports Radio Network. “The L-Club, Emily Dixon, has been fantastic in preparing, getting in touch with all the players and getting them to come back. They all embraced it from day one. It will be a nice celebration of a championship team and a lot of former players who are coming back as well.
“The second thing I want to say is this guy (Stromile Swift). I think people forget because his team was so good but we were on probation that year. We had nine scholarship players and the program had experienced four straight losing seasons. The second recruiting class that we were going to put together, Stromile was certainly at the top of the list because he was one of the top five players in the country. Signing Stromile changed the whole trajectory of the LSU Basketball program.”
Both Coach Brady and Swift both recognized what it showed about keeping Louisiana talent at home at that time.
“You got in a situation where Louisiana players knew if they came here and played together, you could do something really significant and special,” said Brady. “And (Stromile) did us all a favor, and I’ll never forget it and I’m appreciative. He changed it. Other Louisiana players followed him, and I’ll always be grateful for the decision he made.
The Shreveport native chose LSU after his stellar career at Fair Park High School and after what amounted to 1.5 years at LSU entered the NBA draft after the 2000 season and was the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft for the then Vancouver Grizzlies.
“The decision to come to LSU was probably one of the best decisions of my life,” said Swift. “When I got here, I didn’t know what to expect, but just being around Coach Brady and Coach (Butch) Pierre, Coach (Donnie) Tyndall and Coach (Kermit) Davis, those guys pushed me to a level that didn’t know that I could reach.
“I always wanted to see our best talent stay at home and see guys like Tyrus (Thomas), Glen (Davis) and Taz (Tasmin Mitchell) stay here and do something special (NCAA Final Four-2006) and build off what we started. It was always good to see and always made me proud.”
The 2000 team gathered Friday night for a dinner at Walk-On’s near the LSU campus which was founded by two members of the 2000 team – walkons Brandon Landry and Jack Warner.
All the former players will take part in the Tipoff Club pregame party before the game.
Today’s press conference with Stromile Swift and former head coach John Brady can be found on the LSU Sports YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0BBNGGCl2A