Tag: johnny jones

LSU basketball hiring Sacramento State’s David Patrick as associate head coach

David Patrick spent the last two seasons as the head coach at Sacramento State and was an assistant at LSU from 2012-16.

LSU made a splash to complete Matt McMahon’s men’s basketball coaching staff for the 2024-25 season.

On Wednesday, the program announced that [autotag]David Patrick[/autotag] would be returning to Baton Rouge to serve as the team’s associate head coach. Patrick spent the last two seasons as the head coach at Sacramento State.

Known as an elite recruiter, the 48-year-old Bermuda-born coach who was raised in Australia was an assistant at LSU under coach [autotag]Johnny Jones[/autotag] from 2012-16. In two seasons as the head coach of the Hornets, he had a 24-42 record.

“I am incredibly excited to welcome David Patrick and his family to our LSU coaching staff,” McMahon said in a release. “He is an outstanding basketball coach and an elite recruiter who has impacted winning at every stop on his journey. Coach Patrick brings tremendous experience and success to our program. He has been a Division I Head Coach, an assistant coach for the Australian National Team winning a bronze medal in the 2021 Olympics, and has coached in the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

“I love Coach Patrick’s investment in player development and in building relationships. He has recruited and helped to develop multiple NBA Draft picks throughout his career. I look forward to the new ideas, solutions, and energy he will bring to our program. We can’t wait to get started this summer.”

After leaving LSU, Patrick spent two years as an assistant at TCU before leaving for the UC Riverside head coaching job. He left after two seasons in 2020 to join Arkansas as the associate head coach, a role he later held at Oklahoma, as well.

Patrick also brings NBA experience — three years as a personnel scout for the Houston Rockets from 2010-12 — and international experience to the table as he was an assistant coach for the Australian national team from 2019-21.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

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New Mexico vs. Texas Southern: Preview, How To Stream, Odds & More

New Mexico vs. Texas Southern: Preview Mountain West title challengers New Mexico face SWAC title favorites Texas Southern. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Richard Pitino’s Lobos enter season opener with plenty of hype, their first test of …

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New Mexico vs. Texas Southern: Preview

Mountain West title challengers New Mexico face SWAC title favorites Texas Southern.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Richard Pitino’s Lobos enter season opener with plenty of hype, their first test of the season is repeat visitor to the big dance Texas Southern.

WHO: New Mexico (0-0, 0-0 in the MWC) vs. Texas Southern (0-0, 0-0 in the SWAC)

WHEN: Monday, November 6th, 7:30 PM MT, 8:30 PM CT

WHERE: University Arena aka “The Pit”, Albuquerque, NM

STREAM: Mountain West Network

Line: KenPom, The Lobos are favored by 16 Points

The excitement has returned to New Mexico basketball and in turn the city of Albuquerque. Lobo basketball is the main show in town and when the program is good, the Pit crowd shows out. Just look at last season’s expedited turnaround which saw a 14-0 start to the season as the nation’s last remaining undefeated team. Not to mention the program’s return to the AP Top-25 for the first time in nearly a decade. This brought 228,000 fans to the historic Pit in 2022-2023, including five games with over 15,000 fans in attendance.

All of this led to head coach Richard Pitino receiving a contract extension that gave him an annual pay bump ($1.1 million next season) and locked in his job as the Lobos’ lead man until 2027-2028.

The third year head coach turned the New Mexico program into a competitive force again in an ever-growing competitive Mountain West Conference. And according to the head man, maybe a bit ahead of schedule given the coaches lackluster first season in Albuquerque in which he went 13-19 (5-12 in MWC, 9th place finish).

Though along with the hype that has returned to New Mexico, so has has the expectations. Both are high, sky high in fact after a successful offseason that saw the Lobos go shopping in the transfer portal. They emerged with quality commitments from Nelly Junior-Joseph (Iona), Jemarl Baker Jr. (Fresno State), Mustapha Amzil (Dayton), Isaac Mushila (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) and Deraji Agbaosi (North Alabama).

To match a revamped roster Coach Pitino released the team’s non-conference schedule back on October 3rd. A tad late because of the difficulty he encountered when attempting to build an attractive non-conference schedule. At least as far as the NCAA Tournament selection committee is concerned.

The 2023-2024 schedule could be considered both a win & loss in that regard. With big brand high majors lacking but several quality games against teams favored to win their conferences locked in. And Monday’s season opener at home against predicted SWAC favorites Texas Southern is a perfect example of this.

The Tigers may be the perfect test for what could be a short staffed Lobo squad. With star guard Jaelen House and impact transfers Jemarl Baker Jr. and Isaac Mushila absence from their team’s two exhibition wins and still question marks for the season opener. Texas Southern will be a quality opponent for some younger Lobos to get their feet wet against a D-I tournament team, here’s why.

Texas Southern Breakdown

The Tigers are coming off of their 3rd straight NCAA Tournament appearance after an 84-61 loss to eventual tourney darlings Fairleigh Dickinson in the East Region’s first four. That marks trips to the big dance in three out of the five seasons former Nevada Wolf Pack associate head coach Johnny Jones has been in charge of the program.

This is the appeal of the Tigers program, not a 100% guarantee to run the table of the SWAC (14-21, 7-11 8th last season). But a culture in a program that gives opportunity go dancing nearly every season. And for some of the regions most sought after transfers, that was enough to join the team for a chance to do it all again this season.

Aside from losing their leading scorer Davon Barnes to northern neighbor Sam Houston State, Texas Southern were big time winners in the transfer portal. Securing commits from backcourt members Johnathan Cisse (Incarnate Word), Deon Stroud (Fresno State/Eastern Washington) and big men Josh Farmer (UTSA), Kenny Hunter (Louisiana Tech) & Jahmar Young Jr. (SMU). This mix of battle hardened returners and a quality transfer class should be a tougher than expected first game of the season.

Players to Watch:

G Donovan Dent-New Mexico

As of media availability last week, starting point guard Jaelen House could miss the Lobos’ season opener against the Texas Southern Tigers on Monday night. But worry not, as this may be the perfect opportunity to witness returning sophomore floor general Donovan Dent in what many expect to be his future role in the starting lineup a year early.

The 6-2 point guard was one of the more exciting and developed freshman to dawn the cherry and silver in several years. Dent displayed an advanced ability to attack the rim in his first year in college basketball. Which led to season averages of 5.6 PPG, 2.3 APG, 2.0 RPG & 0.9 SPG in 18.5 mpg as the first man off of the bench. He’s taken on a bigger role in House’s absence , averaging 24.5 PPG, 5.0 APG & 2.5 SPG in New Mexico’s two exhibition wins.

G PJ Henry-Texas Southern

Henry is the SWAC Preseason Player of the Year after help lead his squad to a conference tournament championship as the 8th seed. Including two wins against co-regular season champions Alcorn St. & Grambling, and posting 18.7 points a game while shooting 40.7% from deep in three wins.

Coach Jones will lean on him heavily to lead this still youthful and newly put together title contender. Henry showed he was cable to just that last season. After missing the first six games of the Tigers’ SWAC slate he returned and aided in the team’s run to a conference title. The pieces are in place for Henry to elevate his game and better elevate those around him, a matchup against sophomore Donovan Dent

Keys to the Game

For New Mexico: Halt 3-point shooting, Maximize their own 3-point shooting & Stay out of foul trouble

The Tigers made most of their money inside the arc last season, with a long history of impact players in the front court. This season should be no different with the additions of Farmer, Hunter & Young. The Lobos will need to stay out of foul trouble as Texas Southern attempted twenty free throws a game last season, good enough for 69th in the country.

Now this strength balanced out a near non-existent game beyond the arc (27.7%). But, that is where Jonathan Cisse comes in. The 6-1 combo guard averaged 16.0 PPG last season at Incarnate Word and his 40.9% on 137 3-PT attempts is a big reason why. He’ll give the Tigers a more balanced attack from the perimeter.

An attack New Mexico will need to defend the perimeter as they might not have the depth or experience to properly defend the post. While also knocking down their own attempts if their frontcourt still hasn’t found their footing yet on opening night.

Prediction: New Mexico 80, Texas Southern 72

If the Lobos have a full healthy roster on Monday night, I can see the 16-point KenPom prediction holding true. But that’s likely not going to be the case and we can’t forget transfer big man Nelly Junior-Joseph’s still getting adjusted to a late start after visa delays all offseason.

Given what we have seen in recent lineups, I think New Mexico will put a competitive team on the floor regardless of injuries. I think they’ll secure the win but may be in for a bigger fight than anticipated.

Larry Muniz covers college basketball as a writer for Mountain West Wire and WAC Hoops Digest. Also as a co-host of the college basketball podcast “Hoops Talk W/Jay & Larry”. He is also a USWBA Member.

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On this day: Cowens, Langford born; Ford cut; Green, Swain, Jones debut; Sharman passes

On this day in Celtics history, Dave Cowens and Romeo Langford were born, Chris Ford was cut, a number of players made their debut and Bill Sharman left us.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, in Newport, Kentucky, Celtics champion center Dave Cowens was born in 1948. Cowens played collegiately with the Florida State Seminoles and would be taken by the Celtics fourth overall in the 1970 NBA draft on the advice of big man legend Bill Russell despite the fact that the Florida State product stood only 6-foot-9.

It didn’t matter much that he was undersized, as he averaged 17 points and 15 rebounds a game in his rookie season, earning All-Rookie First Team honors in the process. It’s a good thing the Celtics took Russell’s endorsement to heart.

Cowens would go on to have a Hall of Fame career with the team, proving Russell right and then some.

Every player in Boston Celtics history who wore No. 27

Today’s installment focuses on the 12 players who wore No. 27 over the years as of August 2023.

The Boston Celtics have more retired jerseys than any other team in the NBA, but that doesn’t mean the rest of their jerseys have little history of interest tied to them.

In fact, with 17 titles to their name and decades of competitive basketball played in them, their unretired jersey numbers pack in some of the most history not hanging from the rafters of any team in the league. To that end, we have launched our accounting of that history, with every player in every jersey worn by more than one Celtics player in the storied franchise’s history accounted for.

Today’s installment focuses on the 12 players who wore No. 27 over the years as of August 2023.

On this day: Pitino hired; DJ retired; 1965 NBA draft; 1968 expansion draft

On this day, Rick Pitino was hired as head coach and team president of the Boston Celtics, Dennis Johnson retired, and 3 Cs were taken in the ’68 expansion draft.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, former head coach and team president Rick Pitino was hired as head coach and general manager of the team in 1997. He had previously coached at the NBA level as a moderately successful head coach of the New York Knicks between 1987 and 1989, and most recently at Kentucky in the NCAA ranks.

His tenure with the Celtics went considerably worse, with the pressure to return to greatness after the longest losing streak in team history undoubtedly a factor in the several questionable ‘win-now’ decisions made by Pitino. The New Yorker would throw in the towel after four seasons with the franchise, amassing a 102-146 record in the regular season, good for a .411 winning percentage.

He never made the postseason in his role as team president and head coach.

LSU has contacted talented Georgetown transfer Primo Spears, per report

Spears is one of the best players currently on the transfer market.

After a season that featured LSU’s first losing record overall since the final year under [autotag]Johnny Jones[/autotag] in 2017 and an embarrassing 2-16 mark in SEC play, no one expected coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] to rest on his laurels entering Year 2.

In fact, the Tigers have undergone yet another campaign of offseason roster turnover. Four players have entered the portal since the conclusion of the season, and LSU has been in contact with several experienced transfers around the country.

The latest is Georgetown guard transfer [autotag]Primo Spears[/autotag], who LSU has reportedly been in contact with along with a litany of other power programs

The 6-foot-3 player out of Hartford, Connecticut, shined as a true freshman at Duquesne before transferring to the Hoyas, where he was even more productive as a sophomore in 2022-23.

He averaged 16.0 points, 5.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds, but following a frustrating season in Washington, D.C., that featured the firing of coach Patrick Ewing, Spears entered the portal.

A player of his caliber would be a major pickup for this LSU team, especially after losing starting point guard [autotag]Justice Hill[/autotag] to the transfer portal.

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Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

LSU men’s basketball all-time roster: Tiger Legends

The Tigers have had a surprising amount of talent come through their basketball program over the years

March is upon us, and that means that the madness will also return to us soon.

Unfortunately, LSU (in all likelihood) won’t be participating in the festivities after a rough first season under coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] that featured a 14-game losing streak that lasted from late December until the end of February.

This will be the first NCAA Tournament the Tigers have missed since 2018. Although LSU basketball has, historically, been a bit of an afterthought compared to the more successful football and baseball programs, it’s had a surprising level of consistency.

Aside from several lengthy droughts — most notably in recent years from 1993-00 and 2009-19 (with the exception of 2015) — this team has regularly appeared in the postseason for much of the last several decades, though it is still searching for its first national title. Those teams have, unsurprisingly, featured quite a bit of talent over the years.

With that in mind, we’re taking a crack at piecing together an all-time two-deep LSU basketball roster including one head coach and two assistants. Let’s start things off with the coaching staff, with our first choice likely coming as no surprise.

On this day: Pitino hired; DJ retired; 1968 expansion draft takes 3 Cs

On this day, Rick Pitino was hired as head coach and team president of the Boston Celtics, Dennis Johnson retired, and 3 Cs were taken in the ’68 expansion draft.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, former head coach and team president Rick Pitino was hired as head coach and general manager of the team in 1997. He had previously coached at the NBA level as a moderately successful head coach of the New York Knicks between 1987 and 1989, and most recently at Kentucky in the NCAA ranks.

His tenure with the Celtics went considerably worse, with the pressure to return to greatness after the longest losing streak in team history undoubtedly a factor in the several questionable ‘win-now’ decisions made by Pitino.The New Yorker would throw in the towel after four seasons with the franchise, amassing a 102 – 146 record in the regular season, good for a .411 winning percentage.

He never made the postseason in his role as team president and head coach.

21 Nov 1997: Head coach Rick Pitino of the Boston Celtics (left) talks to his guard Ron Mercer during a game against the New Jersey Nets at the Fleet Center in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics won the game 101-93. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Squire /Allsport

Nevada vs. Texas Southern: Game Preview, TV, Radio, Live Stream, Odds, More

Nevada vs. Texas Southern: Game Preview, TV, Radio, Live Stream, Odds, More Wolf Pack should be on high alert against pesky Tigers Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire With a big game this weekend, the Pack can’t afford to look past Texas …

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Nevada vs. Texas Southern: Game Preview, TV, Radio, Live Stream, Odds, More

Wolf Pack should be on high alert against pesky Tigers

Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire

With a big game this weekend, the Pack can’t afford to look past Texas Southern

GAME DETAILS

WHO: Nevada (7-4, 1-0 MWC) vs. Texas Southern (3-6, 0-0 SWAC)

WHEN: Wednesday, December 18 — 7:00 P.M. PT / 8:00 P.M. MT

WHERE: Lawlor Events Center, Reno, NV

WATCH: Nevada Sports Net

LISTEN: TuneIn

ALL-TIME: This is the first meeting between the two schools.

ODDS: Nevada -15, per KenPom

GAME NOTES

The Wolf Pack’s five-game winning streak ended last week when BYU trounced Nevada in Provo, 75-42. And with another WCC foe on the horizon—a date with Saint Mary’s awaits on Saturday—Steve Alford can’t afford to let his team look past Texas Southern.

The Tigers made quite a name for themselves last year as a giant killer, knocking off Oregon, Baylor, and Texas A&M during the non-conference season. Though this year’s squad isn’t quite as good as last year’s, Johnny Jones is sure to have some tricks up his sleeve for his old employer.

Between his previous head coaching gig at LSU and his current job at Texas Southern, Jones served as associate head coach for Nevada in 2017-18. Despite his team’s headline-stealing upsets, Texas Southern fell short of the NCAA Tournament last season and had to settle for a CIT Semifinals appearance in March.

The Tigers have yet to recreate any of the magic from last season, stumbling out to a 3-6 start, which includes one victory over non-Division I opponent Concordia (TX). Outside of a close call in a 69-63 loss to Wichita State, the average margin in the Tigers’ five other losses is 27 points per game.

Nevada comes into Wednesday with a record of 7-4, though none of the losses are necessarily prohibitive to their longshot NCAA Tournament hopes. The biggest issue for their resume is that they don’t have any good wins. This game against Texas Southern won’t provide that opportunity, but there’s a big juicy chance waiting on Saturday when Nevada travels to San Francisco to take on St. Mary’s.

But even though Texas Southern hasn’t scored their marquee upset yet, that doesn’t put Nevada in the clear. The Wolf Pack’s shooters have to be on target, lest they suffer their first objectively bad loss of 2019-20.

GAME PLAN

On NEVADA’S POSSESSIONS…

The green light is on for the Wolf Pack under Alford. Per Sports-Reference, the team ranks 37th in the nation in three-point attempts—and more importantly, 13th in the country in three-point makes. Jazz Johnson, Lindsey Drew, and Nisre Zouzoua are all shooting over 40% on more than four long-range shots per game. Jalen Harris, meanwhile, leads the team in scoring and does most of his scoring inside the arc.

Nevada takes great care of the ball, averaging just 12 giveaways per game. So they don’t lose many possessions to carelessness, but because they shoot so many threes, there aren’t as many opportunities for second chances on the offensive boards. But if any team is going to let the Wolf Pack crash the glass, it’s Texas Southern, who has one of the worst defensive rebound rates in the nation.

ON TEXAS SOUTHERN’S POSSESSIONS…

The Tigers have really struggled on offense, even in comparison to their lowly defense. If Steve Alford is giving his squad a permanent green light, Johnny Jones has his team stuck on red. Texas Southern shoots a very low number of three-pointers, perhaps because they are connecting on well under 30% of them. Tyrik Armstrong is the team’s leading scorer, but he is going to get a lot of attention from Lindsey Drew and the rest of Nevada’s backcourt.

All that attention will likely expose what is perhaps Texas Southern’s biggest weakness: their turnovers. The Tigers average a giveaway on nearly a quarter of their possessions, which means Nevada might finally have a chance to force a few. The Wolf Pack are near the bottom of the ranks in defensive turnover rate. Nevada has been a good defensive rebounding team, while Texas Southern is nothing special on the offensive glass.

GAME PREDICTION

NEVADA 86, TEXAS SOUTHERN 68

After laying an egg last week, expect the Wolf Pack offense to be back in form at home against Texas Southern. The Tigers may keep up for a while, but Nevada should be able to run away with this one over the full forty minutes. And if they want to hang on to their slim chances at an NCAA Tournament bid, they had better fall prey to this trap game.

Andrew is a current USBWA member, covering college basketball for multiple outlets, including Mountain West Wire of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Busting Brackets of the FanSided Network. He also runs the Dieckhoff Power Index, a college basketball analytics system, and provides bracketology predictions throughout the season.

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