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LSU Wins Home Opener against Southeastern La. 96-43

11/30/2020

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Photo By: LSU/SEC
11/30/2020
By: Jordan Taylor
Da Boot Sports!


The LSU Fighting Tigers (1-1), would play their first home game of the 2020-21 season tonight against the Southeastern Lions in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center with under a 25% capacity crowd in attendance.
The Tigers would make quick work of the Lions tonight in a 96-43 blowout win to improve to 2-1 on the season. LSU led by as much as 32 points in the first half, and showed no intention of taking their foot off the gas pedal in the second half.
The Lions were just simply overwhelmed tonight as LSU's big men controlled the glass and the outside shots were falling, allowing the Tigers to pull away and quickly increase their lead.
After the victory, Will Wade would comment that he was very impressed with his guy's focus & effort for 40 minutes tonight.
Freshman Cam Thomas was quoted saying that playing with older guys is an advantage on early scoring success for himself.
While Trendon Watford would add that the team's communication on the floor is definitely getting better.

Below is our "Da Boot Sports" Game Recap....


1st HALF

The Tigers would look very impressive in the first half as Coach Wade would stick with the same starting five that started in St. Louis this past weekend.
The Tigers would control the opening tip but misfire. After back to back turnovers from
both teams, Cameron Thomas would get the scoring going with a huge three pointer at the 18:23 mark.
Coach Wade would go with an aggressive approach for his defense out the gate and try to work on a press/trap to force turnovers. The approach seemed to work as the Tigers racked up five steals and three turnovers early on.
LSU needed to defend the three point line better this game after struggling to in their first two contests. A step in the right direction was taking as SLU would only go 3-13 from behind the arc.
The Tigers were very impressive with the effort that was given in the first half, after dominating on the defensive glass and their hustle for loose balls.
Will Wade would play eight different Tigers in the first half with Trendon Watford leading the way with 13 points. Mwani Wilkinson would come off the bench to add an offensive spark as he would add 12 points and collect 6 rebounds.
LSU would lead by as much as 32, as they would control the tempo and pace of the game. The Tigers would shoot 52% from the floor, while going 9-13 at the free throw line.
LSU would take a 50-18 lead into the locker room to end the 1st half.




2nd HALF:

Cameron Thomas would get the scoring going for the Tigers to start the second half, cashing in on one of two from the free throw line at the 19:10 mark to increase the lead to 51-18. LSU would show no signs of letting up on their opponent and Southeastern La. was never really in the game at any point as we didn't see much fight from the Lions tonight after once being down by 54 points.
LSU out rebounded, out hustled, and out played the inferior Lions for the entire twenty minutes of the second half.
After Shareef O'Neil got into foul trouble, we were able to see new faces come off the bench. Josh Gray showed why he was one of the highest rated centers in the nation last season, as the freshman would introduce himself with a big dunk & some big time rebounds.
The young Tigers would stay at full throttle, continuing to dominate the ball game as they made sure that there would be no second half let down tonight.
​ Late in the game Coach Wade would start to empty the bench as the Tigers would finish cruising to the 96-43 win.



Heading into the third game of the season LSU didn't blink as they showed on the court tonight why there was so much preseason buzz for this group of young men. They looked really good at times and very few mistakes were made tonight in a complete team effort. Guys will begin to grow up right before our eyes. The veteran players need to continue to lead and the new faces need to continue to impress and improve.
The Tigers, even though playing a much inferior opponent, show improvement tonight, especially defending the three point shot.
True freshman Cameron Thomas led the way for the Tigers tonight scoring 21 points in his impressive home debut. Trendon Watford also had a big night, just missing a double double with a 20 point, 9 rebound performance. O'Neal, Days, and Wilkinson all had big nights around the glass combining for a total of 22 rebounds.
Overall the Tigers had a good night shooting going 30-60 from the floor for 50%, 13-36 from the three point range for 36%, and again shooting extremely well from the free throw line going 23-29 for 79%.
Defensively the Tigers played well with 40 rebounds, 8 steals. 3 blocks, scoring 17 points
off turnovers. This young LSU team still has much improvement to make before SEC play begins, but tonight they continued to head in the right direction.
SLU's Keon Clergeot would lead the Lions in scoring and rebounds tonight with 17 points and eight rebounds.
Next up the LSU Tigers will host LA Tech on Sunday, Dec 6th at 5pm in the PMAC The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and on the radio, 98.1 FM.



Photos By: LSU/SEC
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Saint Louis Defeats LSU, 85-81

11/28/2020

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Photo By: Athlete's Eye Photography
11/28/2020
LSU Sports Information
By: Christian Verde


     
ST. LOUIS, Missouri – The Saint Louis Billikens used a 13-2 over a four-minute period in the first half and made that advantage hold up to score an 85-81 win over LSU Saturday afternoon in The Billiken Classic at Chaifetz Arena. 
The Tigers fought back in the second half, rallying to have a three-pointer to tie in the final five minutes and later closed the game to one point inside the final minute. 
LSU (1-1) will play its home opener on Monday night at 7 p.m. against Southeastern in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. The game will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network and streamed on SECN+
Cameron Thomas again hit 10 field goals and four treys in leading LSU with 25 points, while Trendon Watford was two points off his career high with 24 points. For the second straight game, the sophomore led LSU in assists with six, giving him 15 in two games. Javonte Smart also hit four treys and had 18 points. 
The trio combined for 67 of LSU's 81 points, shooting 24-of-38 from the field with nine treys. 
Javonte Perkins had a big night for Saint Louis (2-0) with 32 points and five assists, including four treys and 8-of-8 at the free throw line. Gibson Jimerson added 16 points while Demarius Jacobs had 13 and Jordan Goodwin 11. 
Both teams posted good shooting numbers with LSU shooting 53.8 percent for the game (28-52) with nine treys. Saint Louis shot 55.4 percent (31-56) with 10 treys. Both teams shot over 61 percent in the second half of play.
Saint Louis outrebounded LSU 30-22. The Billikens led by 10, 38-28, at halftime and led by as much as 12 just inside the 16-minute mark of the second half. 
​

    
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LSU starts the season 1-0 with a 94-81 victory over the Cougars of SIU-Edwardsville

11/26/2020

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11/26/2020
By: Terrill J. Weil
Da Boot Sports!

   
    The LSU Fighting Tigers tipped off their 2020-21 Basketball season with a 94-81 victory over a scrappy, well coached SIU-Edwardsville ball club (0-1), in St. Louis, Missouri on Saturday night.  LSU played well in the first half leading by as much as 22, but seemed to relax too much in the second half as they would find it difficult to match their opponent's intensity and energy until their talent would begin to take over late, allowing them to pull away for the win. 
     Below is our 'Da Boot Sports' game recap.....


          1st HALF:

    The Tigers looked focused and crisp early on in the ball game. Trendon Watford would score the first points of the season as he would draw a foul taking the ball to the rim putting him at the charity stripe. He would hit 1-2, giving LSU the early 1-0 lead only 1 minute into the contest. 
    Cameron Thomas would score his first basket as a LSU Tiger with a nice running floater that would hit the bottom of the net at the 18:56 mark to increase the lead to 3-0.
    After a Cougars layup, Darius Days would flex his muscles the next four trips down the court for LSU, as he would hit three straight three point shots in a row, followed by a layup to give LSU a 14-2 advantage five minutes into the ball game. 
   LSU would continue to dominate SIUE over the next four minutes as the Cougars would find it difficult to score on a tough and aggressive LSU defense. LSU would score seven points off of three turnovers in the first seven minutes of the game and would eventually open up a 22 point lead, 26-4.
   With ten minutes to go, SIUE would begin to heat up from behind the three point line as they would can four straight from behind the three point arc. 
    The Cougars would continue to find open looks at the basketball from deep range as their ability to make three pointers would cut the LSU lead to 41-32 with 4:02 left in the 1st half. 
    LSU would go on a 8-2 run to end the first half, taking a 49-34 lead into the locker room.
   Darius Days would lead the Tigers in scoring at the half with 14 points, while freshman Cameron Thomas would contribute 11 in his LSU debut. Watford would score 9 first half points and Javonte Smart would add 7. Bryan Peen-Johnson would also score hid first points in a LSU uniform with a powerful dunk at the eight minute mark.
   The Tigers over all looked really solid in the first half except for their ability to defend the three point shot. A huge problem that haunted the squad a year ago. SIUE would go 8-16 (50%) from the arc in the first half. 
   LSU would go into the half shooting 15-30 from the floor for 50%, while going 6-16 from three point land, and 13-16 (81%) from the charity line. 


          2nd HALF:

    Darius Days would score quickly for LSU to start the second half putting the Tigers up by 17, 51-34. But SIUE would respond with a burst of energetic play going on a 23-8 run over the next seven minutes as they out rebounded, out hustled, and out played the Tigers, cutting the lead to 59-57 with 12:44 to go. 
   With 10:10 left to go, Shareef O'Neal would score his first basket as a LSU Tiger hitting a three pointer giving the Tigers a 65-60 advantage. 
    The Cougars would continue to play with intensity giving LSU all they could handle, but thanks to Darius Days coming alive and scoring eight points over the next two minutes to help give the Tigers a little breathing room, 75-68 with 8:06 left on the game clock. 
    True freshman, Jalen Cook out of Walker High would score his first LSU basket, hitting a three from the top of the key, extending the lead to 79-68 at the 6:33 mark.
   The Tigers would finally begin to find another gear as they would start to take back control of the contest, out scoring the pesky Cougars 19-13 over the final six minutes for a 94-81 win. 


   The young Tigers looked really good at times, especially in the first half as they started the game red hot, playing fast, physical, and at times dominating. But their second half performance resembled the same script that they followed for much of last season. The inability to play a full 40 minutes with focus and intensity on both ends of the court. They also continue to struggle defending the three point shot as Cougar players would find themselves with wide open looks from behind the three-point arc, finishing 13-27 from three-point land. 
    Got to give SIUE credit. They have some talent and are a very well coached team. The Cougars are now 0-2 on the season as they lost to Saint Louis, 89-52 on Wednesday.  
   True freshman Cameron Thomas lead the Tigers in scoring with 27 points in his impressive LSU debut.  Darius Days had a great game scoring 24 on the night, carrying the Tigers on his back at times when the Cougars would begin to make a run. Trendon Watford contributed 13 points and showed great leadership on the court all game long.  Both Javonte Smart, 10 points, and freshman Jalen Cook, 5 points, both did a great job of running the LSU offense from the point. 
    Overall the Tigers had a good night shooting, going 30-58 from the floor for 52%. 12-26 from three-point range, 46%... and had a solid night at the free throw line, 22-26 for 85%..   Defensively LSU played very well, except for defending the three.. The Tigers would have 10 steals and score 21 points off of turnovers. This young, loaded LSU team still has some work to do, but showed flashes what they are capable of and how dominate they can be when they play at the top of their game. 
    Next up the Tigers will face a very good Saint Louis University team on Saturday at 2pm. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and on radio: 100.7 FM...... 
   
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Will Wade & his talented LSU Tigers ready to tip off the 2020-21 Basketball Season

11/24/2020

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Photo By: Terrill Weil
11/24/2020
By: Terrill J. Weil
Da Boot Sports!

​   

    It's time for college basketball and there is excitement in the air around Baton Rouge. Will Wade begins his 4th season as head coach at LSU and his team is loaded.  Gone are Skylar Mays and Emmitt Williams, but the Tigers have a solid core of returning starters. Javonte Smart, Trendon Watford, and Darius Days all chose to return to LSU after testing NBA Draft waters.  Smart has the chance to be perhaps the best point guard in the SEC, and Watford could end up being the SEC Player of the Year.
   Wade has brought in several newcomers, who have unlimited talent and potential, as this season's recruiting class was ranked 6th in the nation. Many think that LSU could have the best roster in the SEC.  This team certainly has what it takes to win a Conference Championship and geaux deep into the NCAA Tournament. Some even say they have Final Four talent. 
    Now, remember this name, Cameron Thomas, because you will be hearing it often. The 6-4, 210lbs Thomas is a five star recruit out of Chesapeake, Va. where he attended high school at Oak Hill Academy. He averaged 31.5 points a game as a senior becoming the program's all-time leading scorer. He can score from anywhere on the court with dazzling moves that will leave fans amazed. Fingers are crossed that he may wear the purple and gold for two or three seasons and won't be a one-and-done.
    Wade was able to add up front depth to the team with three key transfers.

    Bryan Penn-Johnson transferred from Washington and is expected to start at center for the Tigers. Penn-Johnson arrives at LSU with his 7-0, 260lbs frame and should bring a huge rebounding and shot blocking presence down low in the paint that the Tigers were lacking last season. 

    Josh LeBlanc, a 6-7, 215lbs forward from Baton Rouge who prepped at Madison Prep, transfers in from Georgetown where he was part of the Hoyas 2018 class. LeBlanc will be a force coming off the bench, however he was not granted a waiver for immediate eligibility. He will be able to play in mid-December when the academic semester ends. 

    Then there is Shareef! Shareef O'Neal, son of LSU-Legend, and NBA great, Shaquille O'Neal. O'Neal started his college career at UCLA in 2018 where he was diagnosed with a heart condition by the UCLA medical staff. Shareef underwent open heart surgery to correct the problem. He is an inspiration to many after having to deal with a life-threatening situation at such a young age, and still be able to return to play basketball at a high level. He will add talented depth to the Tigers and without a doubt be a fan favorite. 

    Other newcomers to watch are, .... freshman forward Mwani Wilkinson out of Las Vegas, Nev., .....  freshman guard Eric Gaines out of Lithonia, Ga., ... freshman center Josh Gray from Brooklyn, NY., and freshman gurad Jalen Cook from local, Walker High. 
    Add Charles Manning Jr. and Aundre Hyatt into the mix and you have a roster that will be a
physical mismatch against any opponent they play. If Will Wade and the LSU staff can put together the right lineup and bench rotation to gel this group quickly, this could be a special season. 


    The Tigers tip off the season on Thanksgiving Day in St. Louis, MO., against SIU Edwardsville, then take on Saint Louis on Saturday, Nov. 28th, before returning home to the PMAC to host Southeastern Louisiana on Monday, Nov. 30th at 7pm.  Click the button below for the Tigers' 2020-21 Basketball Season Schedule...
LSU 2020-21 Basketball Schedule


POSSIBLE STARTING LINEUP:

PG - Javonte Smart
SG - Cameron Thomas
F    - Darius Days
F    - Trendon Watford
​C   - Bryan Penn-Johnson


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Atlanta Hawks select Skylar Mays in the 2nd round of the NBA Draft

11/19/2020

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Photo By: LSUsports.net
11/19/2020
By: Terrill J. Weil
Da Boot Sports!

   
    Very exciting news for myself and all LSU fans as last night the Atlanta Hawks drafted Skylar Mays in the 2nd round, (50th overall), in the 2020 NBA Draft.  Congratulations Skylar!
   
    NBA.com/Atlanta website posted:
      Mays, a 6’4 guard, averaged 16.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.8 steals in 31 games (all starts) en route to an All-SEC First Team selection as a senior in 2019-20. A native of Baton Rouge, La., Mays became the first player in LSU history to record at least 1,600 points, 400 rebounds, 300 assists and 200 steals.
  “We had Skylar ranked a lot higher (than No. 50),” Schlenk said of Mays. “A four-year guy, an extremely smart basketball player, a very good body, a combo guard, a high basketball IQ, skilled player. We were excited when he was there because, like I said, we had him ranked much higher than that.”
  A summa cum laude graduate with a degree in kinesiology, Mays was the 2019-20 COSIDA Academic All-American Player of the Year, a three-time Academic All-American and a two-time SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

   

    It was reported that Mays watched the draft at home with several family and friends. After the Hawks selected him, ESPN analyst Jay Bilas called him, "Ridiculously smart ... He's a complete guard. Just the fact that he is mature, he knows how to play and will play on both ends of the floor. A really impressive young man." 
    Atlanta is not only getting a superb and electric basketball player, but an incredible person who comes from a wonderful family. For four years this young man has represented the LSU basketball program with class, dazzling us with his high level of play and leadership on the court, as well as his impressive accomplishments in the class room.  Skylar Mays is a true American role model for all...

   
    Below is a Q & A that I did with Mays right after the end of the 2019-20 season...  Enjoy...
 


      Q&A with Da Boot Sports:
​                Skylar Mays

Picture
Photo By: Terrill Weil
3/18/2020
By: Terrill J. Weil
Da Boot Sports!


      Today's sit down "Q & A Session" is with former LSU basketball player, Skylar Mays. Mays just finished a fantastic four year career with the Tigers. 
      He became the Tigers' starting point guard during his freshman year, averaging eight points per game. 
      As a sophomore, Mays averaged eleven points, as LSU would participate in the NIT, falling to Utah in the second round. 
      He averaged thirteen points per game as a junior as he would help the Tigers win a SEC Championship and advance to the Sweet Sixteen.  He was named second team All-SEC and the conference's scholar-athlete of the year. Mays would score his 1,000th career point on February 26, 2019 against Texas A&M. 
      Mays was named preseason first team All-SEC and to the watch lists for the Jerry West and the Naismith Player of the Year awards. He was also named the 45th-best collegiate basketball player going into the 2019-20 season by CBS Sports. In his senior year he would average sixteen points a game. At the end of the regular season he was again named a first team Academic All-American and was selected as the Academic All-American of the Year as well as First Team All-SEC and was named the scholar-athlete of the year for a second straight season.


        Q - What is your favorite color?
        Skylar - Gold


        Q - What is your favorite food?
        Skylar - Fried Rice


        Q - Favorite Pro Athlete?
        Skylar - Currently: LeBron James     Growing Up: Kevin Garnett & Chris Paul


        Q - Favorite Movie?
        Skylar - Coming to America


        Q - Favorite Actor?
        Skylar - Will Smith & Leo DiCaprio


        Q - Favorite Music Artist?
        Skylar - Drake


        Q - When you were a little boy, what did you want to grow up to be? 
        Skylar - basketball player and a Doctor


        Q - Why did you transfer to Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nevada for your senior year of high school?
        Skylar - I kinda felt like I had done all that I could do here, and even with basketball here in Louisiana being very good,  I was just looking for another big challenge. It was 100% a basketball choice.  To have the opportunity to play for one of the top high school basketball programs in the nation. (Mays helped lead Findlay to a State Championship in his senior season).


        Q - What do you remember the most about your freshman basketball experience?
       Skylar -  Going against Jalyn Patterson in practice definitely help me get prepared. The speed of the game is so much different then what I was use too. I wasn't able to dictate the pace of the game like I was able to do in high school. So I had to catch up with the other guys. It took me some time to pick it up. Freshman go through that freshman wall during that stretch. Figuring that out, and once you get the hang of it, it's just like anything else. You start to feel  comfortable and then you try to start to expand your game and start to try things. Then you just try to take off from there.


        Q - Did you feel a lot of pressure being named LSU's starting point guard as a true freshman?
      Skyler - Not really, because it is something that I wanted. Coach Jones and I talked about the opportunity. It wasn't given to me, I definitely had to earn the role, I feel like I worked hard for it. So I wouldn't say I felt much pressure.


        Q - What was the coaching change like for you and your teammates?
       Skylar - At first it's a shock. In high school its very rare that you have more then one basketball coach, unless you move like I did. You just don't see coaches getting fired in high school. So this was the first time I had ever had a coaching change in my career. It's different. You see the business side of things i guess. Its something you can't control. My first thoughts were, what is Coach Jones going to do?  How is this going to affect him?  You just hope for the best for him. Then you kinda turn the attention to yourself, thinking, man, what am I going to do?  You just have no idea who will be your next coach, or will the new coach like me. How will my game fit in with what he plans to do? You feel nervous and anxious.  I like to joke with Coach Wade, I say "Look, I actually played well when I played against you".  We actually played against him and VCU my freshman year. I played really well that game, even though they beat us. I tell him, "Look, if I wouldn't have played you well, you may have not liked my game", because coach likes faster guys and I'm not one of the fastest guys on the court. 


        Q - First Impression of Coach Wade? 
        Skylar - It didn't take long for Coach Wade and I to develop a strong relationship. It's grown over these last three years and it will continue to grow. I'm just glad that he ended up coming here and that I got to play under him. 


        Q - Can you tell me a little about Tremont Waters?
        Skylar - Yea. I could just go on and on about him.  He is special, and everyone who watches him sees it. Actually, my first encounter with Tremont here was that I was his host. So when we are recruiting, and guys come to campus on their visits, a player usually host them. So I was picked to host Tremont and I got to meet his family and his father, may his father rest in peace, and his mother. Just a lovely family. I got to hang with them and we went to Parrains, and I made him try alligator. So that's something that I will always remember. As far as playing with him, he is so easy to play with. He is a wizard with the ball. Me transitioning to off the ball, if it would had been any other point guard, my sophomore year would have been tougher. But he got me so many open looks, even though I was uncomfortable playing off the ball, that I was just able to make simple plays and be successful on the court. He's a great player and obviously he is doing great things trying to establish himself in the League. Yea Tremont is my boy.


      Q - How was it during your Junior year to have the two big men (Naz Reid & Kavell Bigby-Williams) playing in the starting lineup?
         Skylar - It's night and day. I guess I could start off with Kavell. Kavell, man, on defense we
would just try to funnel guys into him, because he was going to block everything, he was gunna get everything on the glass. Unbelievable motor. He would play so hard, running the floor every time so hard,  super competitive. He was a leader in that aspect, just bringing energy, and us always being able to count on him. Especially an older guy who's come in and has already won before, while he was at Oregon. Bringing us that winning pedigree and winning habits. He was just our enforcer back there. I think people could see it this year, the difference of not having someone like him and how it helped and how valuable he was to all the success we had my junior year. 

      Then Naz, Naz just oozes talent. He is so so talented. Talk about a 6'11" guard, with a high high basketball IQ. He had his bumps in the road, but all freshman do. He played hard for us. Some people may have thought he was a deva, but he did stuff for us that most other big guys don't do, like taking charges and diving for loose balls. He would always listen very well, that's why he is going to be so successful in the League, and why he is starting for the Timber Wolves.  He tries to do the little things. He is going to continue to grow because he has the right mindset. For us, he took up so much space and closed up so many gaps that it made it hard for guards from the other teams to go into the paint. So having those two big guys set the tone defensively by letting guys know they didn't have any place to go very much. Then offensively, they were both guys you could just throw it into and you could play through them and they would make a lot of big plays for us. Both of them where a huge huge part of us being SEC Champs that year and getting to the Sweet Sixteen. 


      Q - Do you have anymore school left? And if so will that be put on hold while you pursue a career in pro basketball? 
      Skylar - I'm more then likely going to put that on hold. I'm finishing under-grad this semester. It's going to be weird with all these online classes.  Yes, I'm definitely going to pursue. I'm been hearing good feed back on where I stand as a draft prospect. So I'm going to pursue that and keep playing as long as I can, then work on any degrees later on down the road. 


      Q - How do you manage being a student athlete? Juggling going to class, practice, games, traveling, studying, and managing to make outstanding grades the way you do? 
        Skylar - Yes, first of all I want to give credit to my parents who have taught me the value of a good education. They gave me a standard to meet by watching how they work everyday and how they approach what they do. They just kinda rubbed off on me. They are also my support system. My dad was a college athlete and went to medical school also. So me being able to have those talks with him and my older brother about how to balance things and on certain classes that we all took helped me out a lot.  But as far as balancing things, it's kind of a "want to" thing. It's kind of a "want to". You got to understand what you're working towards and how you're setting your life up. You really have to rely on that as motivation to keep you going, because it's not easy. But having people behind you, who understand what you're going through definitely helps keep you going and being motivated to be successful on both aspects. 


      Q - What type of physician are you going to school to be? Is it sports medicine? 
      Skylar - Nothing is confirmed yet. Usually you kinda trickle it down to after medical school
to kinda figure out what you want to be during clinicals. So many people say they want to do this, want to do that, but then once you go through your clinical rotations and see all the different things, that's when you will really come across what you want to be. As someone who has played at a high level, I could only see myself being around sports right now if I get into the medical field, but things change. 



      Q - When was the first time you met Dale Brown?
      Skylar - The first time I actually met Dale Brown was at Wayde's funeral. That was the first time I actually shook hands with him and met him, yea. He actually came and approached me because I had spoken at Wayde's vigil, and he just came to me and said he heard it, and wanted to show his appreciation, which mean't a lot to me. I actually talk to Coach Brown a good bit now. We are starting to develop a relationship. He told me that he wishes that I had played for him, which definitely meant the world to me. That meant a whole lot to me. That wasn't really the circumstances that I wish I would have met him for the first time, but Coach Brown is an awesome, awesome human being. 


      Q - Has any former LSU Basketball great ever spoken to you or has given you advice on your playing career?
     Skylar - Yea, I actually got to meet with Mahmoud (Abdul-Rauf) after his ceremony. Another awesome human being who just loves to give off knowledge and great energy. I hang around Big Wayne a lot. I call him Big Wayne, ... Wayde's dad. Stanley Roberts is always there. I have a great relationship with Stanley Roberts. Garrett (Temple), I spoke with him last week. Throughout the basketball season, he has always shown support.  Marcus Thronton is still in town, I talk to him. I've got to talk with Tyrus Thomas a couple of times. With him being back in school, I talk to him pretty often. I talk to Stromlie Swift every once in awhile. A lot of great players. Big Baby, it's a fraternity. A fraternity for sure. Coach Brady is awesome. 


      Q - I'm guessing the biggest disappointment of your college career has got to be this year, not being able to play in the post season?
      Skylar - Yea, I don't want to harp too much on that. You know I ended my LSU career in Baton Rouge where I was born and raised. There are so many positives I could take from how the season ended. Just like everyone else, I would have loved to compete in the NCAA Tournament with the potential to win a national championship, especially with the way our momentum was going. That Georgia game and the confidence we had going into the SEC Tournament. But my last time playing a basketball game in Baton Rouge, was a win. I was wearing a LSU jersey, in my home town, with all my family there. You know what I mean? So that's not the worse way to end your college basketball career. Especially with me being a hometown kid. That's where my soul is and it brings me peace on how it all ended. 


      Q - What will you miss the most about playing at LSU?
      Skylar - Playing in front of the best fans in all of America. I'm also going to miss practicing with the guys from year one to year four.  Just how fun practice was.  Getting to compete and getting to have a getaway from all the other stuff that you're dealing with.  I have a lot more basketball ahead of me, but it won't be the same. Nothing could ever replace the experience here that I've had here at LSU. 


Slideshows of some of my photos from each year of Skylar's LSU career

                                            Freshman Season

                                           Sophomore Season

                                             Junior Season

                                        Senior Season
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Watford, Smart On Media All-SEC Preseason Squads

11/12/2020

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                                                                            Photos By: Terrill Weil
11/12/2020
LSU Sports Information
By: Kent Lowe

    BATON ROUGE – LSU sophomore forward Trendon Watford and junior guard Javonte Smart were selected on the media preseason All-SEC team announced by the league office on Thursday.
LSU as a team was picked third in the overall league selections by a panel of both SEC and national media members. 
Watford is among the first-team selections that included Florida junior forward Keyontae Johnson, Alabama's John Petty Jr., Kentucky's Brandon Boston Jr and Tennessee's John Fulkerson. Johnson was selected as the preseason league POY selection with Watford among the players receiving media votes for that honor. 
Smart was one of the six selections for the second team preseason All-SEC. 
Watford as a freshman started 30-of-31 games last season, averaging 31.5 minutes per game. He is the Tigers' best returning scorer at 13.6 points per game and the team's leading rebounder a year ago at 7.2 boards a game. Watford shot 48.9 percent from the floor overall with 18 three-point field goals. 
Smart also started 30-of-31 games a year ago, averaging 34.2 minutes a game with a 12.5 points per game averaged. The Baton Rouge native posted a 3.5 rebounds per game mark and has 129 assists in the course of the season. 
Points for the team ranking was compiled on a 14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. Tennessee was selected first with Kentucky in second ahead of LSU.
The 2020-21 campaign is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Nov. 25, when LSU takes part in the Golden Window Classic at Lincoln, Nebraska/ LSU will play games there on Nov. 25, 26 and 28 with LSU's first home game in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center set for Dec. 6 against Louisiana Tech. Game times and attendance setup for those games will be announced in the days ahead. 

SEC MEDIA PANEL SELECTIONS
First Team All-SEC

John Petty Jr. – Alabama
Keyontae Johnson – Florida
Brandon Boston Jr. – Kentucky
Trendon Watford – LSU
John Fulkerson – Tennessee

Second Team All-SEC

Olivier Sarr – Kentucky
Javonte Smart – LSU
Dru Smith – Missouri
AJ Lawson – South Carolina
Yves Pons – Tennessee
Savion Flagg – Texas A&M
SEC Player of the Year
Keyontae Johnson – Florida

​Preseason Media Pol
l
1.            Tennessee
2.            Kentucky
3.            LSU
4.            Florida
5.            Alabama
6.            Arkansas
7.            Auburn
8.            South Carolina
9.            Ole Miss
10.          Missouri
11.          Texas A&M
12.          Mississippi State
13.          Georgia
14.          Vanderbilt

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Tiger Basketball To Host 14 Games In Maravich Center

11/6/2020

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Picture
Photo By: Terrill Weil
11/6/2020
LSU Sports Information
By: Kent Lowe

        BATON ROUGE – The LSU men's basketball team is scheduled to play 14 home games in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in the 2020-21 season including nine Southeastern Conference games which were announced by the league office on Friday.
Ticket information and capacity policies for the Maravich Center will be announced in the days to come. 
LSU will play four home non-conference games in the month of December – Dec. 6 against Louisiana Tech, Dec. 16 against UNO, Dec. 19 versus North Texas and Dec. 22 VCU. 
The Tigers and Bulldogs were slated to meet in an independently produced game at the CenturyLink Center in Bossier City, Louisiana later this month but that game has been pushed back to early in the 2021-22 season.
LSU and VCU will be playing the second half of a home-and-home series. The teams met last year Richmond.
LSU is scheduled to play at the Maravich Center on the opening night of SEC play, Tuesday, Dec. 29, against Texas A&M. In January, LSU will host Georgia (Jan. 6), Arkansas (Jan. 13), South Carolina (Jan. 16) and Alabama (Jan. 19). The Tigers will close the month by hosting Texas Tech in the previously announced SEC/Big 12 Challenge. 
The Tigers will also host three consecutive Saturday games in February – Florida (Feb. 6), Tennessee (Feb. 13) and Auburn (Feb. 20). The regular season is scheduled to conclude with a game on March 2 at home against Vanderbilt.  
As announced earlier, the league will keep March 6 as an open date for games in case any conference contests need to rescheduled during the course of the year. The Southeastern Conference Tournament is again set for Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, March 10-14. 
LSU will open the 2020-21 with three games in Lincoln, Nebraska in a multi-team event (MTE) that will be scheduled for Nov. 25, 26 and 28. Opponents for those games will be announced in the days ahead. LSU is still scheduled to participate in the Holiday Hoopsgiving games on Dec. 12 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, against USF. 
LSU will as usual play five teams in the league both home-and-away – Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia and Texas A&M, LSU's other four league road games are at Missouri, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Ole Miss.  
Follow updates for LSU Basketball at LSUsports.net, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/LSUBasketball and on Twitter @LSUBasketball.

​2020-21 LSU Basketball Schedule
(As of Friday, November 6, 2020)

NOVEMBER
Wed. 25 – MTE; Opponent TBA – Lincoln, Nebraska
Thurs. 26 – MTE; Opponent TBA – Lincoln, Nebraska
Sat. 28 – MTE; Opponent TBA – Lincoln, Nebraska
DECEMBER
Sun. 6 – LOUISIANA TECH – Baton Rouge
Sat. 12 – vs. South Florida – Atlanta, Georgia (Holiday Hoopsgiving)
Wed. 16 – UNO – Baton Rouge
Sat. 19 – NORTH TEXAS – Baton Rouge
Tues. 22 – VCU – Baton Rouge
*Tues. 29 – TEXAS A&M – Baton Rouge
JANUARY
*Sat. 2 – at Florida – Gainesville, Florida
*Wed. 6 – GEORGIA – Baton Rouge
*Sat. 9 – at Missouri – Columbia, Missouri
*Wed. 13 – ARKANSAS – Baton Rouge
*Sat. 16 – SOUTH CAROLINA – Baton Rouge 
*Tues. 19 – ALABAMA – Baton Rouge
*Sat. 23 – at Kentucky — Lexington, Kentucky
*Tues. 26 – at Texas A&M – Bryan-College Station, Texas
 Sat. 30 – TEXAS TECH – Baton Rouge (SEC/Big 12 Challenge)
FEBRUARY
*Wed. 3 – at Alabama – Tuscaloosa, Alabama
*Sat. 6 – FLORIDA – Baton Rouge
*Wed. 10 – at Mississippi State – Starkville, Mississippi
*Sat. 13 – TENNESSEE – Baton Rouge
*Wed. 17 – at Ole Miss – Oxford, Mississippi 
*Sat. 20 – AUBURN – Baton Rouge
*Tues. 23 – at Georgia – Athens, Georgia
*Sat. 27 – at Arkansas – Fayetteville, Arkansas
MARCH
*Tues. 2 – VANDERBILT – Baton Rouge
10-14 – SEC Tournament – Nashville, Tennessee
*SEC Games; HOME GAMES IN ALL CAPS

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