Returnees have LSU excited

The LSU men’s basketball team has taken its lumps the past two seasons, and that’s putting it mildly.

LSU has compiled just a 5-27 record in the SEC with most of those games being decided by double digits or more.

Those teams were comprised mostly of freshmen and sophomores. This year’s bunch is more junior and senior laden and LSU men’s basketball coach Trent Johnson believes that will be the difference in turning tough losses into hard-fought wins as the Tigers enter a new season, which begins Saturday when the team takes on Nicholls State in the PMAC.

“Are we further ahead than since I have been at LSU?” Johnson rhetorically asked at the Tigers’ media day. “I would say yes, and that is what you would expect with a nucleus of two-year and three-year guys returning.”

Leading the way among Johnson’s returnees are senior forward Storm Warren and senior guard Chris Bass.

Warren is going to be a three-year starter this year for the Tigers, having his best season as a sophomore, averaging 12 points and seven rebounds per game.

Those numbers dipped slightly in 2010-11, but the Monroe native said he wants to regain his sophomore form in his senior season, adding numbers are the last thing on his mind.

“My goals are mainly team goals and that’s just to come out and win,” Warren said.

Johnson said that selfless, team-first mentality is why Warren is among the team’s leaders.

“Storm leads by example,” Johnson boasted. “At times, he can be vocal, but for the most part he leads by example.”

Like Warren, Bass will be entering his third-straight season seeing big minutes for LSU. The younger brother of former LSU star Brandon Bass, Chris is a stabilizing force inside LSU’s offense, averaging just two points per game last year, but getting other players involved in the team’s sets.

“Chris is one of the most durable guys I have been around in my 14 years of coaching,” Johnson said. “He has a lot of personality and is always happy and smiling. I think he is going to play well this year. He has worked extremely hard, and he has a lot of guys around him that can score.”

Some of the guys Johnson referenced are a few newcomers who could take LSU to the next level.

The Tigers will see the debuts of 7-foot center Justin Hamilton and decorated freshman and McDonald’s All-American Johnny O’Bryant III.

Hamilton, a transfer from Iowa State, will man the middle for the Tigers, adding 260-pounds to his stout 7-foot frame.

Johnson said Hamilton gives the team an interior presence they haven’t had since Glen Davis’ graduation.

“Justin is a post player, he can pass, he can catch and he has some size,” Johnson said. “You can’t coach size, and you can’t coach quickness. More importantly, I think he has a very good basketball IQ and has been battle-tested with his experiences as a two-year starter in the Big 12.”

O’Bryant isn’t a two-year starter in the Big 12, but he does have a 262-pound body to accompany his 6-foot, 9-inch frame.

The freshman also is a fantastic athlete, able to play well above the rim. He said he’s ready to make his mark on the SEC, after choosing LSU over a laundry list of the best collegiate programs in the country.

“There’s no pressure,” O’Bryant said. “I just want to come in and do what I can to help my team win games.”

“Johnny is going to be thrown out there early and often,” Johnson said. “It is my responsibility to make sure we put him in game situations where he can use his natural ability.”

Experienced returnees and arguably the most talented crop of newcomers in recent memory, that’s what LSU is banking on in the new season. For all of those reasons, LSU expects to be better in 2011-12.

They just can’t wait to show the world what they can do.

“The attention to detail and concentration level of this group, up to this point, has been very good,” Johnson said. “I am really excited about this group.”

“I think that we’re much improved this season,” guard Ralston Turner said. “I believe that we’ll have a chance to win our share of games as a team and make it to the tournament.”