Tag: darius days

Marcus Sasser among prospects invited to draft combine from elite camp

Sasser is among the draft-eligible prospects selected to advance from the NBA G League Elite Camp to the draft combine.

Houston junior Marcus Sasser is among the draft-eligible prospects selected to advance from the NBA G League Elite Camp to the draft combine, the league announced.

Sasser, who played just 12 games after undergoing season-ending foot surgery in December, emerged as one of the standouts from the two-day event in Chicago, Illinois. He averaged 17 points, 5.5 rebounds and five assists on 52.6% shooting from the field.

Along with Sasser, LSU forward Darius Days, Louisiana Tech center Kenneth Lofton Jr., UConn guard Tyrese Martin, Seton Hall guard Jared Rhoden, Texas Tech forward Bryson Williams and Kansas guard Jalen Wilson were also invited to the combine.

The full list was first reported by Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated.

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The combine will begin on Wednesday and feature 5-on-5 games, strength and agility testing, shooting drills, measurements and other related on-court exercises. With the addition of the seven players invited from the elite camp, the combine will have 83 prospects competing this year.

Those underclassmen that filed as early-entry candidates will also have the chance to interview with teams and gain feedback on their draft positioning. The information will be helpful in forming their decisions on staying in the draft or returning to school before the June 1 deadline.

The NBA draft will take place on June 23.

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NBA G League Elite Camp 2022: Top performers from Day 1 in Chicago

Rookie Wire took a look at some of the best performances from the first day of the NBA G League Elite Camp.

The NBA G League Elite Camp tipped off on Monday with two scrimmage games and other related on-court activities as draft-eligible prospects competed in front of scouts, coaches and front-office executives in Chicago, Illinois.

In total, 44 individuals were selected to participate in the event this year with the top performers eventually earning invitations to compete in the draft combine. The first day of action saw plenty of notable efforts with every player hitting the court.

The scouting event has seen several fringe prospects move on to the combine and later hear their name called on draft night. With the event kicking off on Monday, Rookie Wire took a look at some of the best performances and those prospects who could get invited to the combine.

Here’s where Tari Eason is heading in the latest NBA mock draft

Eason is going to Chicago with the 18th pick in the latest ESPN mock.

After a strong start, it was a disappointing finish to the season for LSU basketball, which fired coach [autotag]Will Wade[/autotag] ahead of the NCAA Tournament, where it suffered a first-round exit against Iowa State.

While the season didn’t go as many fans hoped, there was one silver lining all year: forward [autotag]Tari Eason[/autotag]. A transfer from Cincinnati, Eason had solid if a bit underwhelming production as a true freshman with the Bearcats, but he had a breakout season in 2021-22 with the Tigers.

He averaged a team-high 16.9 points with 6.6 rebounds while being named the SEC Sixth Man of the Year and given a First Team All-SEC selection. After an impressive sophomore season, Eason is heading to the 2022 NBA draft, where he’s projected as a first-round pick in the latest mock from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz.

The pair has Eason heading to the Chicago Bulls with the 18th pick, just a few picks outside of the lottery. Here’s what Schmitz says about him.

The Bulls ranked 23rd in defensive efficiency in the regular season, and they could without question use another versatile wing defender like Eason, one of the most productive and efficient all-around players in the NCAA as a 20-year-old junior. While likely more of a 4/3 at the NBA level (a spot currently occupied by Patrick Williams), Eason played a fair amount of small-ball 5 in college and could give the Bulls a different look with his length and foot speed, as they’re used to playing in deep drop coverage with Nikola Vucevic at the 5. Eason isn’t the most polished ball handler or decision-maker and had his fair share of no-show games at LSU. But the fact that he can add value as a transition finisher, rebounder, cutter, occasional spot shooter and defender at 6-8 with a 7-1 wingspan alongside a perimeter creator like DeMar DeRozan makes him an intriguing fit in Chicago.

For a team that needs help on defense, landing Eason — a semifinalist for the national defensive player of the year award — would be a solid pickup in the middle of the first round. As Schmitz mentions, he’s one of the most versatile prospects in this draft and can do a lot in addition to his defensive acumen.

Eason is the only LSU player Givony and Schmitz have off the board in their full two-round mock draft, meaning they currently have an undrafted projection on forward [autotag]Darius Days[/autotag], who chose to enter the draft instead of returning for an extra fifth season of eligibility.

We’ll have to wait until the draft on June 23 to find out where Eason will play his professional ball, but regardless, it would be a major shock if he’s still on the board at the conclusion of the first round.

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Shaq says he supports his son Shareef O’Neal’s decision to transfer from LSU

The elder O’Neal and former LSU star voiced his support for his son, who entered the transfer portal last week.

LSU expected to see some attrition this offseason in the aftermath of the decision to fire men’s basketball coach [autotag]Will Wade[/autotag]. But nobody expected quite the roster turnover we’ve seen in Baton Rouge over the last couple of weeks.

Since the Tigers lost to Iowa State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, new coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] has seen the entire roster depart, either to the 2022 NBA draft (in the case of [autotag]Tari Eason[/autotag] and [autotag]Darius Days[/autotag]) or the transfer portal.

Among the latter group is LSU legacy [autotag]Shareef O’Neal[/autotag], whose father [autotag]Shaquille O’Neal[/autotag] had a legendary career with the Tigers before going on to have an even more legendary career in the NBA.

The younger O’Neal, who joined the Tigers as a transfer from UCLA two years ago, was never able to make much of an impact on the court and entered the transfer portal last week. In an appearance on The Big Podcast, Shaq voiced his support for his son’s decision to transfer.

“Wherever he decides I’m behind him,” Shaq said. “He’s a grown man making a decision and has kinda had a lot of basketball bad luck… We go to LSU where I thought they would take care of him but they didn’t, they have their own problem down there. I hope wherever he goes he gets a shot.

“I have a Giannis (Antetokounmpo) with a jump shot, that’s how I raised him… but people don’t know.”

That’s quite a lofty comparison, but O’Neal certainly has the talent. The former top-50 recruit has disappointed to this point in his career, though.

O’Neal was originally committed to Arizona in high school before the same investigation that is ironically now plaguing LSU resulted in the termination of coach Sean Miller. He ended up in Westwood, where he averaged just 10.2 minutes, 2.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 13 games as a true freshman.

In Baton Rouge, those numbers haven’t changed much. He registered a career-high in points this past season with 2.9 per game, but his average minutes per game dropped from 14.9 to 9.2.

O’Neal will be a senior in 2022-23 but has an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19. He will hope to finally shake the “basketball bad luck,” as his father put it, at his next stop.

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LSU vs. the World: How Tigers players are mentally preparing for tournament run

The Tigers players aren’t phased by the “dark cloud” surrounding the team entering the NCAA Tournament.

Let the madness begin.

On Friday at 6:20 p.m. CT, the LSU Tigers will tip-off against the Iowa State Cyclones in Round 1 of the NCAA Tournament.

There has been a lot of noise surrounding the program lately with the firing of former head coach Will Wade a week before the tournament started. A lot of questions have been posed about how this team would respond to the adversity that they faced heading into a game against a good Iowa State squad.

That’s not a concern for the team, though, senior forward Darius Days said.

“A lot of people may feel there’s a dark cloud around LSU basketball and that’s how it’s been since I got there,” Days said, per Sports Illustrated’s Glen West. “We had a couple of shirts made ‘LSU vs. the World’ so at all times that’s how we feel.

“I feel pretty confident in the team, been working hard and not letting the distractions keep us away from our goal, winning a national championship. We’ve been locked in with each other, leaning on each other but we’re gonna on alright.”

Star forward Tari Eason, one of the top players in all of college basketball, concurred.

“We had meetings before the season on how to make us tight, a close knit group so I think when adversity hits, the best thing about this team is we only get stronger,” Eason said. “This week has been a little hectic with the new changes to the staff but I feel like everybody’s doing their part to step up. The assistant coaches, the players, we’re all trying to step up and rally together to make this a special run.”

Kevin Nickelberry was named the interim head coach after Wade was fired and he made it a priority to sit down and speak with the guys about how some things have changed while others remain the same. The team has adopted the mantra of  ‘LSU vs. The World’ because that is how the team views this possible run in March Madness.

Point guard Xavier Pinson elaborated on what the message has been from the coaching staff during this tumultuous time.

“The message has been just to play basketball,” Pinson said. “We can only control what we can control, we’re players so we keep the same goals and objectives.”

There may be a “dark cloud” surrounding the LSU program from the outside looking in, but from the players’ perspective, they are ready to go to war.

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Interim coach Kevin Nickelberry discusses Darius Days’ role with Will Wade gone

Nickelberry said he will turn to his veteran leader to spark the team heading into the NCAA Tournament.

LSU senior Darius Days, has had his best statistical season this year for the Tigers as he has averaged 13.7 points per game and 7.7 rebounds while shooting 72% from the free-throw line. Those numbers earned him a Second-Team All-SEC selection.

As a four-year player for LSU, Days has seen it all. He has been through the highs and the lows of the Will Wade era. When the Tigers have their back against the wall who do they turn to? Darius Days.

This is why he was the first person Kevin Nickelberry talked to as soon as he was named the interim head coach after Will Wade was fired.

“He was the first person I talked with, first player I met with last night,” Nickelberry said of Days. “I’m going to lean on him a lot. It’s easier for me to get the attention of guys because they know I’ve been a head coach. A lot of the guys I recruited. They know I have a relationship with them. So, the same is for Darius.

“Darius has been through this before. So, I asked him to speak to the team. He spoke to the team, and he’s going to continue to. Mentor these kids, and prepare them for this moment. Again, they call it a shining moment for a reason. This is a moment. I think Darius has been through it. He’s very prepared to prepare these young guys for this moment.”

Days is the kind of guy that can rally the troops. That is exactly what LSU needs as they head into March Madness. They need someone who can calm the madness and get the team focused for the Iowa State game. If LSU is successful in the tournament, Days will be a big reason why.

The Tigers start their postseason run against the Cyclones on Friday in Milwaukee.

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Tari Eason named SEC Sixth Man of the Year by coaches, Days and Murray also receive honors

Eason led the Tigers in scoring coming off the bench and was also named to the First Team All-SEC list.

It’s been a phenomenal season in Baton Rouge for forward Tari Eason, who transferred in this past offseason from Cincinnati, and he’s earned himself some hardware courtesy of the SEC coaches.

On Tuesday ahead of the start of the SEC Tournament in Tampa, Eason was named the league’s Sixth Man of the Year while also being selected to the First Team All-SEC list. Meanwhile, forward Darius Days was selected for the Second Team All-SEC list, and guard Brandon Murray cracked the All-Freshmen team.

Despite coming off the bench, Eason has been the most impactful player for the Tigers this season. He’s averaging 16.9 points (sixth in the league) and 6.9 rebounds (eighth). He also has 12 games this season with 20+ points, eight of those coming in SEC play.

Eason was also named to the Second Team All-SEC list by the Associated Press.

Days, a senior, is averaging 13.6 points and 7.7 rebounds. He’s scored in double figures in each of the last 11 games. Murray is also averaging double-figure points with 10.1. He hit 37 threes this year, and his career-high in points came against Texas A&M, when he scored 21.

LSU is set to begin its SEC Tournament run on Thursday, when it will take on the winner of No. 12-seeded Missouri and No. 13-seeded Ole Miss. The Tigers are the No. 5 seed in the conference.

Here’s the full All-SEC list and postseason awards from the coaches.

SEC MEN’S BASKETBALL AWARDS
First Team
JD Notae, Arkansas
Jaylin Williams, Arkansas
Walker Kessler, Auburn
Jabari Smith, Auburn
Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
Tari Eason, LSU
Iverson Molinar, Mississippi State
Santiago Vescovi, Tennessee
Scotty Pippen Jr., Vanderbilt

Second Team
Jaden Shackelford, Alabama
Colin Castleton, Florida
TyTy Washington Jr., Kentucky
Sahvir Wheeler, Kentucky
Darius Days, LSU
Kobe Brown, Missouri
Kennedy Chandler, Tennessee
Quenton Jackson, Texas A&M

All-Freshman Team
Charles Bediako, Alabama
JD Davison, Alabama
Jabari Smith, Auburn
TyTy Washington Jr., Kentucky
Brandon Murray, LSU
Devin Carter, South Carolina
Kennedy Chandler, Tennessee
Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee

All-Defensive Team
Keon Ellis, Alabama
Jaylin Williams, Arkansas
Walker Kessler, Auburn
Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee

Coach of the Year: Bruce Pearl, Auburn
Player of the Year: Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Jordan Wright, Vanderbilt
Freshman of the Year: Jabari Smith, Auburn
Sixth-Man of the Year: Tari Eason, LSU
Defensive Player of the Year: Walker Kessler, Auburn

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LSU survives overtime against Alabama, who stood out for the Tigers?

Which LSU Tigers stood out in the win over Alabama.

Alabama and LSU have dolled out a couple of thrillers over the last couple of years. It’s a rivalry that delivered again on Saturday with LSU finally coming out on top, 80-77.

LSU couldn’t have asked for much of a better start. There was no 11 AM lull as it came out of the gates buzzing in front of a loud crowd.

Alabama then settled in, and LSU had some trouble defending the three-ball. It didn’t last long, as the Crimson Tide went cold, allowing LSU to pull in front again.

The final minutes of the first half went back and forth with Alabama throwing in a final-second dunk to take a small lead into halftime.

The second half, much like the first, saw LSU and Alabama trading bullets. Around the 4:30 mark, Tari Eason hit two free throws to tie it at 64.

Some moments later, Eason found Days down low, putting LSU up two. That was followed by a Brandon Murray fast-break dunk, making it 68-64 LSU.

Tied at 70 with a minute left, LSU found the basket. Alabama followed that up with an illegal screen on the ensuing possession, giving LSU the ball right back.

A wild final minute sent the game to overtime, where it didn’t slow down. The five-minute overtime period resembled the first 40 minutes.

LSU came out on top and got one of its biggest wins of the year to head into the SEC tournament.

Here are three Tigers that stood out on Saturday.

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LSU falls short against red-hot Arkansas in Fayetteville

The Tigers missed another opportunity for a key Quadrant 1 win on the road on Wednesday night.

In what was a very heated and entertaining game in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Wednesday night, LSU came up one shot short of a victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks.

The Tigers started off strong shooting, 41% in the first half in what was a 35-35 tie at the break with a Razorbacks team that has won 14 of their last 15 games. But coach Will Wade’s squad couldn’t hold on to a late lead, falling 77-76 at Bud Walton Arena.

The Hogs only shot 38% in the first half and LSU outrebounded Arkansas 20-18 and both teams finished with seven turnovers. The second half started off as hot as the first half with LSU scoring the first seven points thanks to Brandon Murray and Darius Days.

After LSU’s hot start, though, Arkansas came fighting back and cut the lead down to one with 13:56 remaining in the game. The lead would proceed to switch back and forth multiple times until LSU went on a six-point run to make the score 63-56 with 6:31 left in the game.

That is as big of a lead as anyone would get for the rest of the game as it came down to the wire. Reminiscent of a heavyweight boxing match, both teams would trade blows for the final six minutes of the ballgame to try and come out on top.

LSU took the lead with 9:22 left and held onto it until Arkansas scored with 1:13 left. The Tigers responded to that score with a layup from Xavier Pinson to re-take the lead with 52 seconds left. Then, it was as if LSU pressed the touchpad on their Playstation controller to intentionally foul someone.

The Tigers fouled Arkansas twice in the final 46 seconds. Arkansas made 3 of 4 free throws to take a one-point lead with eight seconds left. Coach Will Wade decided not to use his final timeout as the Tigers inbounded the ball to Pinson who ran the length of the floor and attempted a layup with two seconds left, but the shot was off the mark, securing the Arkansas win.

LSU finished the game shooting 36% from the field and 21% from three-point range. The Tigers only had 10 turnovers while forcing 12 from Arkansas, and they outrebounded the Hogs 43-34, grabbing 22 offensive rebounds to Arkansas 10.

Tari Eason led the Tigers in scoring with 24 points on 14 attempts. He went 10 for 10 from the charity stripe. Darius Days was the second-highest scorer with 19 points on 12 attempts.

LSU will play its final regular-season game this Saturday against a struggling Alabama team. Tip-off is scheduled for 11 a.m CST.

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