The Daily Reveille
Monday, January 28, 2013
page 11
KENTUCKY, from page 7
JONES, from page 7
to understand is when you play on the road you can’t wish to win on the road,” Caldwell said. “You have to make your breaks, you have to make it happen, and you have to really see yourself coming away with the win.” LSU was led once again by junior forward Theresa Plaisance, who posted a game-high 19 points and came down with eight rebounds. The performance came despite sitting on the bench for about nine minutes in the first half with foul trouble. Webb also had a big night, putting up 18 points, five rebounds and an assist. Kentucky’s biggest spark came off of the bench from sophomore forward Azia Bishop, who shot 7-of-10 from the field in a 17-point effort in 20 minutes of play. The Lady Tigers will have another shot at success on the road Thursday when they travel to take on Auburn.
style the team played under Johnson. The roster is also missing the quality size and depth necessary to win in the SEC. The man is not a miracle worker. Expecting this team to be better than it is right now is unrealistic. If you find yourself frustrated with this season’s Tigers, then you missed the boat on what this season is all about. Be patient. Since Jones took over, the plan has always been to build for 2013-14 and for the seasons after that. Despite this season’s struggles, that plan is still on schedule. The Tigers’ four current leading scorers are set to return next year, and the only threat to that is Hickey “Honey-badgering” himself out of the program. Despite the returners, the real reason to preach patience is the recruiting class Jones has amassed during his first season. According to ESPN, Jones currently has the No. 11 recruiting class this season centered around five-star forward Jarrell Martin. The Baton Rouge native and Madison Prep Academy product is ranked as the No. 15 recruit in the country. Throw in two more Top-100 recruits in forward Jordan Mickey and guard Tim Quarterman and you begin to see Jones’ plan a little more clearly. If this initial class is any indication, Jones is the best recruiter LSU has had since John Brady put Glen Davis and Tyrus Thomas on a court together. That team made a Final Four run, and with a front line of O’Bryant, Martin and Mickey, Jones’ 2013-14 Tigers would be built in a similar way. This year is a rebuilding year. It will not be pretty from here on out, and there is no way around that, except to wait it out. Jones is building something,
Contact Tyler Nunez at tnunez@lsureveille.com; Twitter: @NunezTDR
BEAM, from page 7
MORGAN SEARLES / The Daily Reveille
LSU junior forward Theresa Plaisance (55) looks toward the goal Jan. 20 during the Tigers’ 54-51 victory against the Vanderbilt Commodores in the PMAC.
... We’re going to get [beam] together and go to Kentucky next week and be even better.” Courville also took home the bars crown to bring her career individual title count to 23. After the meet, Breaux and her team focused on the high score and beating No. 9 Georgia and No. 16 Oregon State rather than the loss to Oklahoma. Junior Kaleigh Dickson earned her first start in the allaround competition Saturday after spending the early season
struggling with her bars routine, her weakest event, according to Dickson, despite it being her highest score Saturday. “We’re really happy about our score,” Dickson said. “Obviously we wanted the win, and if we had had beam, we would’ve gotten a higher score and been able to win. There’s nothing to be upset about. We hit our routines, we just have to do a little better on beam next time.” The Florida native credits the increased support of her coaches and teammates to her success on the uneven bars.
“I really pushed two kids this week: Maliah Mathis and Kaleigh Dickson,” Breaux said. “Those two kids really got the wrath of D-D all week long. I didn’t let up on them because I knew we were going to put a lot on Kaleigh this week. We wanted her in the all around.” Dickson posted a career-high 39.275 in the all around.
Contact Mike Gegenheimer at mgegenheimer@lsureveille.com
KLSU’S 3rd Annual king cake giveaway
Tune into to KLSU 91.1 FM between 8AM-5PM now through Feb. 17 to hear KLSU and Mardi Gras trivia questions. The first person to call 578-5578 with a correct answer will be entered into a drawing for a king cake!
RICHARD REDMANN / The Daily Reveille
LSU coach Johnny Jones watches his team play Jan. 16 during the Tigers’ 73-82 loss to the University of South Carolina in the PMAC. According to ESPN, Jones has the No. 11 recruiting class this season, so Tiger fans should prepare for a successful 2013-14 season.
but we all have to be patient and wait to see what happens next season. If the plan works and Jones puts LSU basketball back on the map, we will all forget about 2012-13 pretty quickly. Rome wasn’t built in a day. In 2007, Nick Saban was 7-6 in his first season at Alabama. How long ago does that feel? James Moran is a 20-year-old mass communication junior from Beacon, N.Y.
Do you think Johnny Jones will turn around the LSU men’s basketball team in the coming years? Vote at lsureveille.com. Contact James Moran at jmoran@lsureveille.com