Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Overall Rank: #77
Conference Rank: #2 WAC
Louisiana Tech Team Page
2010-11: 12-20, 2-14
2010-11 postseason: none
Coach: Michael White (First year at Louisiana Tech, 0-0 overall)
Do not let the conference record fool you. Louisiana Tech was not that bad during the 2010-2011 campaign. They were not very good either, but they were a better team than their record would indicate. The bad record was the end for Coach Kerry Rupp so Michael White, a former assistant at Mississippi, will take over the Bulldogs. He brings with him a fast pace offense that fits this personnel quite well. He also brought Trevor Gaskins along for the ride. Gaskins, when healthy, was a superb playmaker and scorer for Ole Miss. He will be eligible immediately since he graduated with a year of eligibility remaining. Gaskins has to stay healthy and be a teacher on and off the floor, but this team will go as far as he can take them.
Who’s Out:
And Gaskins will have to do a lot without DeAndre Brown and Olu Ashaolu. In a year where injuries and inconsistent play were plentiful, Brown and Ashaolu were usually the bright spots. Brown was the do-it-all guard who could shoot and score from anywhere on the floor. Ashaolu emerged as a solid interior scorer who could also stretch out the defense and was one of the best rebounders in the conference. C.J. Scott and James Johnson rarely played last season and are not returning for the 2011-2012 campaign.
Who’s In:
This team already has plenty of youngsters who are pretty talented but never got much of an opportunity to play last season. They are the more experienced bunch, but the freshmen will have a shot at playing time as well with the new coaching staff coming in. Point guard Raheem Appleby is the star of the class and could find some minutes off the ball as well or he could play some point while Gaskins spends some time at the two guard spot. Kenny Smith will add even more depth at the point. Wings Alex Carr and Stojan Gjuroski are different types of players, but both bring something to the table. Michale Kyser is the lone incoming big man at 6-9 and 220 pounds. However, this team is guard heavy and Coach White is going to run this group up and down the floor so a wing player like the 6-7 Gjuroski could certainly spend some time at the four spot.
Who to Watch:
Part of the reason Louisiana Tech had such an awful conference record is due to the fact that Brandon Gibson made it through five minutes of conference play before tearing an ACL. Prior to the injury the 6-5 junior was in the midst of a breakout campaign, averaging 9.2 points and 5.1 rebounds. Darius Redding, a 6-4 forward, only played in six games before becoming academically ineligible. In those six games he averaged 6.0 points and 3.0 rebounds. He is certainly undersized to play the four spot and is a wing, but in Coach White’s offense he could spend some time at the four spot in certain situations. With the bevy of talent on the perimeter, do not be surprised if this team starts running up and down the floor with a smaller lineup. That would create room for Kenyon McNeaill to join Gaskins, Gibson and Redding in the starting lineup. McNeaill would otherwise be the backup point guard, but he did start 30 games last season and relegating the defensive stopper to the bench does not seem too prudent. McNeaill had a tough time holding onto the ball as a freshman, but with Gaskins by his side, McNeaill can be a secondary ball handler who can also score. Lonnie Smith, Cordarius Johnson and Tevin Hall are all guards who were in the regular rotation a year ago. Smith and Johnson are now sophomores and should be ready to play a much bigger role on this team as long as they can find the minutes.
Final Projection:
If Coach White does, for all practical purposes, run a four guard offense, Romario Souza will be the big man in the middle. The 6-10, 245 pound senior started 15 games a year ago and pretty much just did the dirty work for Ashaolu. Now he will have to step up his scoring and rebounding. Antwond Roshell is another big body who joined the Bulldogs from the junior college ranks. With more playing time to be had in the frontcourt, Roshell will make a push for more of this time. He is a better rebounder than Souza and that will be an important quality to have on this team. J.L. Lewis is a pretty good rebounder too and will likely have to fight off the newcomers for playing time. The frontcourt needs to find a scorer, but the backcourt is full of very talented players who can make some major noise in a conference that is pretty much up for grabs. If this group can stay healthy, they can make a run at from worst to first in the WAC.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT
Projected Starting Five:
Trevor Gaskins, Senior, Guard, DNP last season
Kenyon McNeaill, Sophomore, Guard, 8.7 points per game
Brandon Gibson, Junior, Guard, 9.2 points per game
Darius Redding, Sophomore, Forward, 6.0 points per game
Romario Souza, Senior, Forward, 3.7 points per game
Check out another story about Louisiana Tech basketball
