HOTARD: Seniors adjust well to role changes
It’s easy to see why LSU newcomers Justin Hamilton, Anthony Hickey and Johnny O’Bryant III have attracted so much attention this season.
Hamilton leads the team in scoring and rebounding, Hickey has distinguished himself as one of the Southeastern Conference’s top young point guards, and O’Bryant has been a regular starter after earning All-America honors as a high-school senior.
But if you asked anyone inside the LSU locker room, they may tell you the team’s three seniors have been every bit as valuable.
Chris Bass, Malcolm White and Storm Warren knew they’d have to sacrifice minutes and stats in order to help the Tigers turn a corner this year. Their willingness to take a backseat has not only played a role in LSU’s run to a share of fourth place in the SEC standings, but has probably had just as much impact on building team chemistry.
The three seniors, all Louisiana-bred, will play their penultimate home game together when Georgia visits the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Wednesday.
Warren averaged 11.8 points and 7.2 rebounds as a sophomore, then saw his numbers dip to 7.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in an injury-riddled junior season. He has split starts with O’Bryant as a senior. His average of 19.6 minutes per game is his lowest since he averaged 7.5 minutes as a freshman.
White transferred from Ole Miss after starting 27 games as a sophomore, then sat out the 2009-10 season to satisfy NCAA residency rules. He started 31 of 32 games for LSU as a junior. But with the arrival of Hamilton and O’Bryant this year, he is averaging 10 minutes a game with no starts.
As a sophomore, Bass started 19 games and led LSU in assists.
Then came Andre Stringer, who earned the starting job at point guard last year. Then came Hickey, whose arrival pushed Stringer to the wing and left Bass as the backup to another freshman.
Rather than worry about individual accolades, the seniors have taken on less glamorous roles to help LSU excel.
Bass, the younger brother of former LSU star Brandon Bass, gives the Tigers a boost with his defense and ballhandling. As important, he has developed a friendship with Hickey and helped the newcomer adjust to the college game. White served a one-game suspension early this month after being whistled for a flagrant foul against Kentucky. His third game back, he provided LSU a spark off the bench against Mississippi State and helped trigger a key momentum swing late in the first half. Warren has scored in double figures in four of the past six games. He had a double-double against State to earn his 13th start of the season Saturday at South Carolina.
The best times yet, however, could still be to come.
The Tigers have won three straight and four of their past five, moving themselves in position to challenge for a postseason berth.
The team’s three seniors would certainly embrace that kind of send-off.