Have you taken a peek at the SEC basketball standings this week?
Being that the conference boasts the top two steam engines in the Associated Press football poll who are destined for a head-on collision in Atlanta this weekend, you probably haven't. That's OK, I'll fill you in. While no team has risen above the pack, one SEC team remains undefeated two and a half weeks into the season. Care to guess who it is?
No, it's not the NCAA's all-time winningest program from Lexington. It's not the team from Gainesville that has won back-to-back titles this decade. Heck, it's not even the team from Knoxville that spent part of the 2007-08 season ranked No. 1.
It's the LSU Tigers.
First year coach Trent Johnson has his team undefeated at 6-0 and fans in Baton Rouge building expectations as the decade-long John Brady era is becoming a quickly-shrinking speck in the rear view mirror. While the victories have come over Directional State U and teams from the lowly SWAC and may not seem impressive, it's how these Tigers have won that is catching the attention of round ball regulars on the bayou.
When Johnson was lured away from Stanford --where he led the Cardinal to the Sweet 16 -- by the gumbo and hefty pay raise in south Louisiana, Johnson promised his teams would do two things: play defense and rebound the basketball. Observers may call Johnson intense. They may call the scowl he wears on his face "gruesome". They may even call him soft spoken. One thing they cannot call him is a liar.
Through six games, LSU is holding its opponents to an average of 58 points per game and a comical 33% from the field. The Tigers have been even better on the boards, out rebounding their victims by an average of 16 per game. Compare that to a season ago when teams scored 69 points per game, shot 42% from the field and out rebounded LSU by an average of two boards a game, and you have the reason why John Brady is coaching at Arkansas State and Trent Johnson has LSU undefeated.
Johnson also turned heads in Baton Rouge on basketball media day when he promised to sit guard Marcus Thornton --the second-leading scorer in the SEC a season ago-- until he realized he had to be effective on both ends of the floor and not just on offense. True to his word, Johnson played Thornton only 18 minutes in LSU's opener against Jackson State while Bo Spencer paced LSU with a career high 21 points. Since the opener, Thornton has emerged once again as LSU's leading scorer, but also has 18 defensive rebounds and five steals on the young season. It's safe to say Johnson has the attention of his team.
Tiger fans, on the other hand, may still need some convincing. While there is cautious optimism in Baton Rouge after the solid start to the season, most fans are choosing to focus on the lack of quality opponents instead of the quality product Johnson is putting on the floor. And that is more than fair. Of the six victories, only Cal State Fullerton earned an NCAA Tournament bid last season and they were bounced in the first round as a 14 seed. What's more, Tiger fans saw this play too many times under Brady when the Tigers would feast on in-state stepbrothers, rack up an impressive record, only to fall flat once conference play started.
The difference is that those Brady teams never had an identity. It's clear through only six games how Johnson plans on winning ballgames: score points and work like hell to stop the other team from doing the same. So far, so good.
As for the naysayers, don't worry Trent, you will have ample opportunity to make them believers soon enough. After all, Texas A&M, Washington State and Utah will all come calling soon enough. So, go ahead an prove your team in for real.
And maybe you will have the rest of the conference looking up at you.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Hello and Goodbye
I have said for many years that as a talk show host it is not my place to call for a coach or administrator to be fired. I am not paid to make those types of decisions and I am modest enough to know that there is a better chance of me solving that whole space-time continuum thing than being consulted when such decisions are made.
That being said, I am a member of the opinion media and I am paid to have an opinion. And it is my opinion that Les Miles needs to cut his losses (and there were five of them this season) and fire defensive co-coordinators Doug Mallory and Bradley Dale Peveto.
I do not personally know Mallory or Peveto and have only observed them at practices (when the media is allowed in) and in game situations like any other fan. From what I can tell, they are honest men who represent LSU and the football program with class and dignity. Unfortunately, they can't coach a lick of defense. For an LSU program that built its foundation of dominance over the past decade on a concrete wall of a defense, the results in 2008 were shocking. Even after Nick Saban bolted from Baton Rouge for the Miami Dolphins, Miles's first major hire of Bo Pelini as DC worked like a charm. LSU finished in the top three in the nation in total defense each of Pelini's three seasons in Baton Rouge.
I also understand what LSU lost in personnel from the 2007 National Championship team: two senior corners (Chevis Jackson and Jonathan Zenon); an All-American safety (Craig Steltz); two senior linebackers (Ali Highsmith and Luke Sanders); and the greatest defensive player the university has ever produced (Glenn Dorsey). However, I refuse to believe that even with those losses, the 2008 LSU defense should have fallen to the depths it did. Twice teams scored 50 or more points versus LSU -- a first in NCAA history for a defending national champion. Lowly Arkansas had its highest point output against the Tigers (31) and even Mississippi State -- a team that battled Auburn to a 3-2 loss -- hung 24 on LSU.
If numbers are for losers, then these numbers explain why LSU lost five games in the '08 campaign: 37th in total defense (326.5 ypg); 66th in scoring defense (25.9 ppg); 81st in pass defense (220 ypg). The rush defense was the lone bright spot, finishing the season ranked 16th nationally allowing 105 ypg. Simply, this result should be unacceptable fora program that has come to expect championships and pays its coaches accordingly.
The silver lining in the cloud of doubt for Les Miles is that it is not too late to turn things around. Miles proved through his first three seasons at LSU to be an excellent judge of coaching talent in making key hires. Pelini was a fine fit at DC and is now a head coach himself. Bringing in Gary Crowton as offensive coordinator to replace Jimbo Fisher might have been the boost that put LSU over the top in 2007. The one bad hire Miles has made since arriving at LSU was Mallory and Peveto and I have confidence that he can and will remedy the situation.
That being said, here are a few of the names being mentioned as possible replacements at DC should Miles decide to make a change:
Greg Robinson
-Robinson was recently fires after four lackluster seasons as Syracuse head coach. He has previously serves as defensive coordinator on mack Brown's staff at Texas in 2004 and 14 seasons as an NFL defensive coordinator for the Jets, Broncos and Chiefs. The knock on Robinson is that even as a defensive-minded head coach, his Orange defenses were awful, finishing the 2008 season 100th in total defense and 101st in scoring defense .
John Chavis
-Chavis has been an assistant coach at Tennessee since 1989 and has serves as defensive coordinator for Phillip Fulmer since 1995. Aside from sending a herd of Vols into the NFL, the '08 Vols were at the top of the conference rankings in most defensive statistical categories and finished 4th nationally in total defense and 5th nationally in pass defense. With Fulmer out at Tennessee, Chavis is looking for a job and knows the SEC well.
Ed Orgeron
-While Orgeron proved to be an excellent recruiter at USC and Ole Miss, his coaching ability is lacking. He led the Rebels to only two wins over teams with wining records in three seasons and has led an underachieving Saints defensive line in New Orleans this season. Also, it is unlikely that Miles and Orgeron could coexist after battling for recruits for three seasons.
Jon Tenuta
-He gained national acclaim during his six seasons as defensive coordinator at Georgia Tech. Known for his attacking style defense, Tenuta joined the Notre Dame staff as a defensive co-coordinator prior to the '08 season. The results for the Irish have not been good: 39th in total defense; 42nd in scoring defense; 62nd in rush defense; and 30th in pass defense. Tenuta's future in South bend will likely depend on Charlie Weis's status with the university.
That being said, I am a member of the opinion media and I am paid to have an opinion. And it is my opinion that Les Miles needs to cut his losses (and there were five of them this season) and fire defensive co-coordinators Doug Mallory and Bradley Dale Peveto.
I do not personally know Mallory or Peveto and have only observed them at practices (when the media is allowed in) and in game situations like any other fan. From what I can tell, they are honest men who represent LSU and the football program with class and dignity. Unfortunately, they can't coach a lick of defense. For an LSU program that built its foundation of dominance over the past decade on a concrete wall of a defense, the results in 2008 were shocking. Even after Nick Saban bolted from Baton Rouge for the Miami Dolphins, Miles's first major hire of Bo Pelini as DC worked like a charm. LSU finished in the top three in the nation in total defense each of Pelini's three seasons in Baton Rouge.
I also understand what LSU lost in personnel from the 2007 National Championship team: two senior corners (Chevis Jackson and Jonathan Zenon); an All-American safety (Craig Steltz); two senior linebackers (Ali Highsmith and Luke Sanders); and the greatest defensive player the university has ever produced (Glenn Dorsey). However, I refuse to believe that even with those losses, the 2008 LSU defense should have fallen to the depths it did. Twice teams scored 50 or more points versus LSU -- a first in NCAA history for a defending national champion. Lowly Arkansas had its highest point output against the Tigers (31) and even Mississippi State -- a team that battled Auburn to a 3-2 loss -- hung 24 on LSU.
If numbers are for losers, then these numbers explain why LSU lost five games in the '08 campaign: 37th in total defense (326.5 ypg); 66th in scoring defense (25.9 ppg); 81st in pass defense (220 ypg). The rush defense was the lone bright spot, finishing the season ranked 16th nationally allowing 105 ypg. Simply, this result should be unacceptable fora program that has come to expect championships and pays its coaches accordingly.
The silver lining in the cloud of doubt for Les Miles is that it is not too late to turn things around. Miles proved through his first three seasons at LSU to be an excellent judge of coaching talent in making key hires. Pelini was a fine fit at DC and is now a head coach himself. Bringing in Gary Crowton as offensive coordinator to replace Jimbo Fisher might have been the boost that put LSU over the top in 2007. The one bad hire Miles has made since arriving at LSU was Mallory and Peveto and I have confidence that he can and will remedy the situation.
That being said, here are a few of the names being mentioned as possible replacements at DC should Miles decide to make a change:
Greg Robinson
-Robinson was recently fires after four lackluster seasons as Syracuse head coach. He has previously serves as defensive coordinator on mack Brown's staff at Texas in 2004 and 14 seasons as an NFL defensive coordinator for the Jets, Broncos and Chiefs. The knock on Robinson is that even as a defensive-minded head coach, his Orange defenses were awful, finishing the 2008 season 100th in total defense and 101st in scoring defense .
John Chavis
-Chavis has been an assistant coach at Tennessee since 1989 and has serves as defensive coordinator for Phillip Fulmer since 1995. Aside from sending a herd of Vols into the NFL, the '08 Vols were at the top of the conference rankings in most defensive statistical categories and finished 4th nationally in total defense and 5th nationally in pass defense. With Fulmer out at Tennessee, Chavis is looking for a job and knows the SEC well.
Ed Orgeron
-While Orgeron proved to be an excellent recruiter at USC and Ole Miss, his coaching ability is lacking. He led the Rebels to only two wins over teams with wining records in three seasons and has led an underachieving Saints defensive line in New Orleans this season. Also, it is unlikely that Miles and Orgeron could coexist after battling for recruits for three seasons.
Jon Tenuta
-He gained national acclaim during his six seasons as defensive coordinator at Georgia Tech. Known for his attacking style defense, Tenuta joined the Notre Dame staff as a defensive co-coordinator prior to the '08 season. The results for the Irish have not been good: 39th in total defense; 42nd in scoring defense; 62nd in rush defense; and 30th in pass defense. Tenuta's future in South bend will likely depend on Charlie Weis's status with the university.
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