The Tigers are expected to compete for the title this year in underrated SWAC. But can they get her done? They definitely have some talent but talent only can get you so far.  Well, let’s start with Hobdy because everything at Grambling (and any other sport on any University for that matter) starts with coaching.  Hobdy is a Grambling alum who once played on one of Robinson’s unbeaten teams (and unscored upon) on the gridiron.  As soon as he could start coaching he did and there was nowhere else he wanted to be than in little ole Grambling stuck in the Northern sticks of Louisiana far away from the madding crowds and big cities of Baton Rouge and New Orleans.  This is a pure college town with as many students as citizens in Grambling and that makes it easier for coaches to focus in on two things with their student-athletes.  Hard work on the court and in the classroom as there really is nothing else to do. Hobdy works his players harder than any coach in the country as his practices are famous for the sweat drenched athletes who continuously run throughout the entire three hours of drills.  But these kids are in shape and they love this rugged man because after practice he is there for them to make sure they have someone for them to help them and guide them. For a bunch of poor kids who did not come here with much it is important to teach them that the only way to get something is hard work and that basketball is just a means to an end.  Life is much more than throwing a ball into a hoop but if it will help you better yourself with an education then so be it.  But if you are going to get that education (and time on the court on his team) you are going to have to work for it.  Hobdy has brought in a bunch of rawboned and athletic kids from the sticks who all have a dream. He wants to turn them into one of the best group of basketball players in Louisiana, the SWAC and perhaps the US. And he has these kids believing it.  This is not without merit as most of his upperclassmen have tasted success for the Tigers.  His boys dominated NAIA for a minute but this is the big time now and D-1 basketball is a whole different animal.  Even though they would be playing against their old rivals from the SWAC (and boy do the fans from the other colleges want to knock off these Tigers after getting destroyed on the football field) the stakes are much higher.  The Tigers felt this last year as the competition got much more heated all of a sudden.  He has the horses going into the year and he has put together a schedule to test these kids to see if they really were ready for the big time of college basketball.     

This all or nothing season for Hobdy and his experienced team begins with an incredible starting five that featured three seniors and two juniors.  Hobdy has put all of his butter in one basket and was not going to give much experience to his underclassmen Heck, he barely recruited anyone and is only bringing in five new freshman and one JC transfer.  Hobdy has never relied on the Juco transfers and has accumulated much depth with his four year players and has as much experience on this roster as any team in the SWAC and perhaps the entire South.  The goal is to not only win the SWAC and get to the Big Dance but give this basketball program the same kind of recognition the football team gets. But Hobdy understands to get that this team has to earn it.  But he has the perfect group of seniors to lead them into this year’s battles. 

The Tigers year will revolve around seniors Willis Reed, Jimmy Jones and Robert Hopkins.  They are the heart and soul of this team.  Gifted with great touch and range for a big man, Reed is one of the best centers in the country.  He hits jumpers out to 18 feet but can also guard big men underneath.  Reed, from just up the road in tiny Bernice, is famous for his sweeping left handed hook shot which he makes on a regular basis.  He was pretty raw when he got here but Hobdy has worked this kid into a great one. This big boned kid was ready to work. Mainly. he thought to get his degree.  Well. he has a crazy future now as the pro scouts have been knocking down the doors of tiny Memorial Gym all year to get a look at this true diamond in the rough.  Nobody heard of this kid before last year as Hopkins was the man down here but after his showdowns with some elite centers (Robert Parish and especially Wilt Chamberlain) he has shown he has a game that is pro worthy.  He is a great rebounder as he goes at about two hundred and 35 pounds on a 6 foot 10 frame.  He may be the best small school player in the country and will be a great addition to some pro team next year.  His decision to come back for his senior year has given hope to this program and the fans as there is no way they would be able to compete without him, at least for where they want to end up.   

As good as Reed was and he is that good going into last year the star of the team was Hopkins.  This big man can flat score and though he gave up some of his offense to benefit the team he still led this well-balance and high scoring attack in scoring average (He barely beat out Reed and Jones 16.8 to 16.7 and 16.2 for both of his teammates).  Hopkins was actually recruited out of nearby Jonesboro by Robinson who was the head basketball coach as well back them before Hobdy took over.  He basically put the G-Men on the basketball map singlehandedly as from his first game for the Tigers he put up historic numbers.  He averaged over 20 points and ten boards his first two years as Reed and company were still developing games to match their size and drive.  Hopkins on the other hand was taking vacations in San Francisco with his Aunt and playing continuous non-stop pickup games with his cousin Bill Russell and his buddies KC Jones and Johnny Mathis.  This of course had to help him develop because if you can hang with Mr. Russell than you can hang with anyone.  Russell actually tried to get his cousin to transfer to the Dons a few years back but Hopkins stayed dedicated to the Tigers and came back an even better player than he was before.  Hopkins is an extremely strong low post player and has earned his nickname of Lil’ Abner because of his dominance on the blocks against sometimes much bigger guys.  At six eight and about 205 Hopkins is not huge for a power forward but he is so strong and understands the game so well he can get position down low and can get his shot off over anyone (ask his cousin).  He has a great touch around the basket and range up to about 18 feet and is a solid board guy though he does not have the size to dominate the glass like Reed does.  His ability to score in the paint enabled Reed to play the high post at times and made matching up with the Tigers almost impossible.  Who wants to have to guard a six foot ten guy on the perimeter?  Reed was not only able to hit his jumper from the top of the key but the entire offense ran through him and his wall like screens.  The ability to have a guy like that up top was so helpful to the team’s success.   It wouldn’t have worked if Hopkins was not solid on the blocks. Hopkins is still quite an impressive scorer but not like he was as he has sacrificed for the better of the team.  He was a 20 point a game guy but has realized that the Tigers are a better team when he is just part of the overall puzzle.  And with the other guys scoring more it makes his life much easier down low and in the corners. Hopkins had some tricky knees and like his sidekick missed a few games and this will be a concern as he moves forward.  Bob might not have the pro potential of Reed but he is one of the greatest basketball players to ever come from Louisiana, the SWAC and in general to have laced up sneakers! 

Do not think the Tigers do not have talent around Reed and Hopkins.  They do.  Jones is a superb talent who will take his skills to the next level as well.  He has a great all-around game.  He can score and pass.  He goes to the hoop as easily as hitting open jumpers (though if he does have one weakness it is lack of a three-point shot which he rarely even tries).  When he draws contact in the key which is often he does not miss from the free throw line.  He is a solid defensive player.  At six four and greyhound fast Jones can cover the court like a gazelle on both ends.  He is as good of a one on one player as there is in the SWAC and Hobdy loves getting him into favorable matchups with lesser guards where he either uses his quickness to blow by them or can use his size to dominate them inside or out.  Coming from small little Tallulah Louisiana Hobdy turned Jones into one of the great guards in the South.  He worked this kid with no father figure hard but he also was there after every rugged practice for guidance.  How good is Jones?  Well, when Larry Wright went down for a few games he took over at point and showed that even at six four this kid can drive and dish with the best of them.  Jones averaged over sixteen points a game and 4 and a half assists and helped on the boards with over four rebounds a game.  Jones is the real deal who can do anything on the basketball court.  e. 

Joining Jones in the backcourt once again will be junior point guard Larry Wright.  Wright is almost as talented as Jones.  He is a gifted penetrator who gets to the hoop and dishes with the best of them.  He has the size and quickness to guard anyone.  His ability to play the point was huge for the Tigers as it allowed Jones to play the two spot and made this Tiger back court easily the best in the conference and maybe as good as anyone in the South.  When he missed some games in the middle of the year the G-Men struggled as Wright is the guy that makes everything work on the vaunted Tiger fast break (they truly never quit running).  Wright is the one responsible for getting these great scorers down low the ball and he does this well.  Wright was born just down the road in Monroe (though he went to high school in Washington DC) and chose the Tigers over the hometown WarHawks and took over the lead dog role on this team from day one.  He is like having a coach on the floor and Hobdy loves that Wright executes all of the little things (and big things) he wants for this team to do.  He can score with which he will have to do much more of with his buddies going on to greener pastures though there are rumors he might be joining them at the next level.  That would be sad because this program needs this great leader for one more year as Hobdy will have a hard enough keeping this program moving forward after losing all of those great seniors to the pros.  

The Tigers obviously have a great starting five and rounding this out was one of the coolest named players in history.  Aaron James is a High School legend from New Orleans could have went anywhere (LSU recruited him hard) but Hobdy brought him with a promise to his parents that he would get a degree on time and go to church every Sunday. But the primary reason that James came here was that fellow Big Easy legend Anderson had decided to go here and he wanted to follow in his footsteps.  Of course, when he passed it affected James harder than anyone and then a few games in when Hobdy asked him to replace him in the starting lineup well you can imagine how hard it was on this kid.  James stepped up though and brought something to this team (outside shooting) it was lacking and might have been the most important player on the team when they made their run.  James teams with Hopkins to be a cohesive combo who complements each other perfectly.  Jones is a solid inside player who can hang with the best of them but Hobdy needed him to be able to guard smaller forwards.  AJ combines with Reed and Hopkins to give the Tigers good size and superior play on the front line but his biggest attribute he brings is his ability to hit long range shots.  With nobody else on this great five being able to hit threes this became James’s role.  And he relished it.  Sure, this team was dominant running the break and inside but the team really takes off when James got going from outside.  AJ from the parking lot became his moniker and he surely lived up to the name.  All of the other scorers were so much more affective when you got a guy like James who is so dangerous from the perimeter?   James has range to the parking lot and is not afraid to fire it from there either.  He was made for the three point line and fits in perfectly with the rest of this magnificent starting five.  His breakout games were the trip back home to New Orleans when he scored 26 including five threes.  After that Hobdy knew he had the starting five he needed and from then on it was just keeping them healthy and letting them go.  It will be Wright and James’s team next year and this kid could put up ridiculous numbers after being the fifth Beatle but still averaging over ten points a game and probably being the most invaluable piece of the puzzle with his great long range shooting.  The future is James’s but for this year he will continue to be ‘Clarence,’ playing his smooth jazz on his saxophone and hitting those shots from the parking lot. 

The Tigers have an experienced and solid bench though they were nowhere near the starters in talent and at times there were some issues with this.  Hobdy preaches team first and he did play many players trying to find their place and each player accepted and understood their specific role.  Big man Charles Hardnett was huge on the boards throughout the year and can score a bucket in the post.  He is better suited for limited duty as he was tried at power forward for a few games starting when Hopkins was out and that did not work.  This Senior is a solid contributor throughout his career in Grambling and even pushed Reed for starter at center the first two years here.   Seniors Rich Johnson, Wil Frazier and John Comeaux were also invaluable up front coming off the bench.  Johnson and Frazier are good board men and defenders but are stuck behind Hopkins, Reed and Hardnett though both had some solid efforts in relief.  Comeaux is especially important down the stretch as a true small forward who could guard people and hit open shots.  He actually started a few games early on but an injury opened the door for James and ladies love Cool James.  Big Seven footer Bob Christian is huge and Coach Hobdy tried him in a monster package together with Reed to start the season but that did not work.  He came through huge down the stretch as well getting some minutes against the behemoths of the SWAC.  He is most important on the practice court pushing Reed every day with the kind of size and toughness he will be playing against on a regular basis soon.  Reed even said somewhat tongue in cheek after facing Wilt that he was nowhere near as physical as big Bob.   Junior Terry Sykes and Sophomore Robert Williams will also be in the mix for jobs up front though neither one really played much last year but were JV studs.  Fellow sophomore Napoleon Johnson transferred in from SWAC rival Texas Southern in an almost straight trade for Charles Price.  Johnson has a developing offensive game with some size at 6’9 but will be stuck behind Reed. Senior Fred Hilton is one of the primary backups in the back court and is very capable.  He is more of a scorer but got some quality time and hit some big shots when he was in and could have a shot at the next level.  Fellow Seniors Hershel West and James ‘Chink’ Hooper were at one point stars here but like many of their teammates got stuck behind that super starting five and really did not get to play much. Both of these guys can score but are nowhere near the level of overall play of Jones or Wright.  Junior Martin Lemelle ran the JV but is coming on up to back up Wright this year.     

The Grambling Tigers goes into this season with high expectations. Grambling is a football town and basketball usually isn’t even mentioned until January.   But long-time Coach Fred Hobdy knows he has the team to compete for a SWAC title and perhaps show off some moves on the dance floor in March.  After all the likes of Reed, Jones and Hopkins do not grow on trees for any program and this is not exactly Durham or Westwood where you replace one superstar with another almost every season.  This is the sticks of Louisiana out in the middle of nowhere with less than 5000 students (and nothing else but trees) and a cupboard that is nowhere near full!  But if anybody can do it that would be the taskmaster Hobdy.  No matter what his kids will work and will be in shape and they will compete every night!  But can they get past the mighty Braves of Alcorn State who has every bit as legendary of a coach and the same kind of talent. After all the Braves stole their thunder last year and these Tigers want that SWAC title back.  And a shot at those Bayou Tigers from down south for once!