Brown has at his disposal coming back the defending national scoring champion plus one of the best forwards in all of the land.  Throw into this the number one recruit in the country in a 7 foot 300 pound man child form San Antonio and what do you have?  Problems.!  This trio just did not work together.  There are not enough basketballs in the gym to make them all happy.  Superstar ‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich is the returning scoring champ with over 30 a game last season. Maravich has been scoring at a crazy rate since he arrived from Raleigh North Carolina three years back.  Leading the way is the incomparable Maravich.  The ‘Pistol’ may have more basketball skill than anyone who has ever played the game.  A terrific shooter, an unbelievable ball handler, and a great passer, Maravich uses his six foot five frame to dominate opponents.  Impossible to cover, Maravich has been known as a scoring machine.  And that he is.  He can get his shot off against anyone and has range to Denver.  His accuracy from behind the three-point line is almost as impressive as his range.  He can also get to the hoop whenever he wants but the Tigers needed leadership and someone to get the ball to the other players on this team. Maravich understands that he might be a legend but if he wants to get to that next level on the pantheon of greats he will have to win a few big games.

Pettit is so smooth and works so hard you almost forget how good he is.  He is a big forward who has the skill of a small one.  He can slash from the wings or post up and dominate.  He is so consistent is it scary.  Pettit could be the best offensive rebounder in the game and gets to the foul line an extraordinary amount of time with his slashing style.  He is not a great outside shooter but he can hit the open shot.  When the game is on the line, he is almost automatic.  What a threat to have on your team with Maravich.  But he had to learn to play with the Pistol just as much as Maravich did with Big Blue.  After all this was Pettit’s town (he was born and bread in Baton Rouge) so this interloper with the gimmicky game was encroaching on his territory. It has not been easy as the first year these two could not stand each other and the record showed. Once they did figure it out (and the jury is still out on that lasting) they compliment each other perfectly and their ability to coexist was as important to the success of this team as anything that happened on the court. 

Sophomore Chris Jackson might look like the designated shooter but he is way more than that.  A good ball handler and penetrator who is deadly if he gets to the foul line, Jackson got the task of guarding point guards as Maravich could only guard shooting guards and this was very helpful in the grand scheme of things.  Jackson was the phenom frosh last year and got all the hype playing next to Maravich but he might have a better second season as he improves a little on hitting those 25 footers in tight situations.  Jackson is good enough to be a superstar on many others teams and it was one of Brown’s hardest tasks to get this kid to become a role player.  The fact that he did shows what kind of kid he is and what kind of Svengali Brown is.  He is a much better coach than he is given credit for especially in the motivation part of the game.  He also can do the X’x and O’s as his combo zone/man defense he came up with really helped down the stretch especially in containing the three point shot while still being able to rebound.  

The Tigers do have two more starters by the way.  Junior Rudy Macklin is one of them and is a fine complement at small forward.  A great board guy who plays solid defense and can hit the open J.  Macklin really is more of a swing forward but made the most of his job guarding smaller, quicker guys. To win games you have to have role players and the Tigers recruit way too many five star guys to get many role players.  Macklin is all desire and heart as he showed by overcoming a knee injury midway through the year and coming back to play and excel during the last ten games.  He is nowhere near the level of his teammates and is sometimes overmatched at the small forward as he is not as athletic as some of the guys he has to guard but he makes due.  Brown was continuously tinkering trying to find the right guy to play next to the Big Three and small forward was the biggest issue. Well, center was but that is all changing.  Soon! 

For now the fifth starter is junior Al Sanders.  The Apple of Baton Rouge’s eye this 6’8 240 bruiser has become quite popular with his nasty screens to get Maravich open.  He is physical as can be but not much offense here and does get overmatched by bigger guys.  That won’t happen much this year as Brown has a few seven footers coming to town.  He also has the top point guard in the country so things will be even more exciting in the Bayou. 

The bench is solid and they did their job especially once Brown figured out his rotations.  It’s not North Carolina or Kentucky but there is some talent there.  John ‘Hot Plate’ Williams is the most talented off the bench but he struggles with consistency and with hamburgers.  The Sophomore forward needs to stay motivated and he could be special but with that said he was huge in the tourney run as the number one guy off the bench.   His triple double versus New Orleans (and his namesake) showed his potential but he also missed too many games and Brown had to bench him for a little while but he did come back and contribute down the stretch.  Frank Brian gave the team experience at guard and the “Flash’ is as fast as anyone up and down the court but he was not a point and he was not going to play in front of the Piston.  Joe Dean is another two guard who has played more than he wanted at the point.  Dean is a Tiger all the way through as has accepted his new role on the bench once a man named Jackson came to town.  Sophomore Howard ‘Hi C’ Carter is the best suited for the wing play off the bench on the team as he is big enough but also quick enough to guard other athletic wings.  He had a very productive season for Brown and the Tigers.  Junior Kenny Higgs and Sophomore Ethan Martin had solid seasons in Baton Rouge rotating at backup point guard.  Both are true point guards and at times the Tigers needed this.  Higgs distributes the ball well and can really get to the hoop but could probably score more if needed.  Sophomore Ethan Martin is all about getting his teammates involved and is clutch but not quite as dynamic as Higgs though is a better defender.  These two are in jeopardy of losing some serious minutes if the kid from the Big Easy is as good as advertised. Sophomore Jerry Reynolds is a multifaceted wing who gives Brown options off the pine. Junior Bill Newton is the Fig’ to Sander’s ‘Apple’ and is a solid backup on the post.  He is better offensively then his sidekick but nowhere near as physical. Junior DeWayne Scales is another big guy who can play but has been getting limited time except on the JV squad where he shined.  Sophomore Ricky Blanton is another swing man from Miami who is coming up from JV after a so-so first year.  Junior Collis Temple might be the best of the bunch off the bench and sure is the toughest.  He was the first black recruit for the Tigers to play basketball and has to deal with some major shit from some of the racists. They had to call the national guard to the campus for his first game but this kid doesn’t let it bother him.  He has got talent and is a team guy who loves Baton Rouge. 

The LSU Tigers got one of the finest pairs of players in the country. The Tigers have long been one of the most exciting ticket in the game but can they prove they can play together. With arguably the biggest recruiting class (literally and figuratively) the Tigers have enough talent to make a run at the Wildcats in the SEC.  And then who knows.  But that will take some team ball and defense.  The kids will help but if this team can’t stop anybody it doesn’t matter how much you score.  But can the two super seniors change and can they get along with these new kids who promise to get this program to the top of the heap. They have only had blacks playing in the SEC and specifically Baton Rouge for a few years.  And things did not go so well for Mr. Temple.  Yes, times they are a changing but it takes a little bit longer in some places to accept those changes.  But no program in the country wants to win more then the Bayou Bengals and they are now finally willing to make the changes that need to happen to make that a reality.  But will the old school superstars not only accept this change but the fact they need to change their game to win?  It’s going to be a fun year down in the Bayou.