ENGSTER: Statistically Speaking
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| LSU men’s basketball faces long road back
By JIM ENGSTER
Tiger Rag Featured Columnist
Only Kentucky has collected more SEC basketball championships than LSU. The Wildcats have captured 45 conference cage crowns while LSU is second in the league with nine championships.
The record shows that LSU has historically struggled playing at SEC foes with the exception of the years when the Tigers were competing for league honors. Using the Press/Pete Maravich Era as the dividing line between the Genesis of LSU hoops to the present, The Ole War Skule has produced only eleven winning seasons on its annual SEC road tour since Press Maravich took the job as head coach 46 years ago.
LSU was 26-10 (72.2) on the road in the SEC from 1978 to 1981, the four-season span in which the Tigers were 57-15 overall in the conference. In the remaining 42 seasons from 1966-67 to 2011-12, LSU has posted a 117-240 record in conference road games (32.8 percent).
The SEC road story of LSU coaches since Pete and Press Maravich arrived in the fall of 1966 is hardly a glittering testimony for the success of basketball in TigerTown.
Coach Seasons SEC Road Record PCT.
Press Maravich 6 16-38 29.6
Dale Brown 25 91-128 41.6
John Brady 11 25-59 29.8
Butch Pierre* 1 2-2 50.0
Trent Johnson 4 9-23 28.1
*Butch Pierre coached the final ten games in 2007-08 after John Brady was fired by Athletic Director Skip Bertman.
Dale Brown’s 41.6 percent winning rate on the road in the SEC is significantly better than the records of the man who preceded him and the coaches to succeed him on the Tiger bench.
Press Maravich, John Brady, Butch Pierre and Trent Johnson have combined for a league road worksheet of 52-122 in 21 seasons (29.9 percent) - 11.7 percentage points lower than Brown (1972-97).
The last 46 seasons have featured eight LSU teams which won SEC regular season or tournament championships. Those years (1979, ‘80, ‘81, ‘85, ‘91, 2000, 2006 and 2009) produced an SEC away mark of 49-21 (70 percent). In the other 38 years from 1967 to the present, the LSU road record was 94-229 (29.1 percent).
The coaching ledgers also reveal a consistent contrast between success at home and challenges on the road.
Coach Home Road SEC Total
Press Maravich 29-25 (53.7 Pct) 16-38 (29.6 Pct) 45-63 (41.7 Pct)
Dale Brown 147-72 (67.1 Pct) 91-128 (41.6 Pct) 238-200 (54.3 Pct)
John Brady 49-34 (59.0 Pct) 25-59 (29.8 Pct) 74-93 (44.3 Pct)
Trent Johnson 16-16 (50.0 Pct) 9-23 (28.1 Pct) 25-39 (39.1 Pct)
Total 241-147 (62.1) 141-248 (36.2) 382-395 (49.2)
Percentage Above/Below LSU average 1966-2012
Coach Home Road SEC
Press Maravich (-8.4) (-6.6) (-7.5)
Dale Brown +5.0 +4.9 +5.1
John Brady (-3.1) (-6.4) (-4.9)
Trent Johnson (-12.1) (-8.2) (-10.1)
Disparity between SEC Home and Away games
Coach Home to Road Differential
Press Maravich 24.1 percent better at home
Dale Brown 25.5 percent better at home
John Brady 29.2 percent better at home
Trent Johnson 21.9 percent better at home
With just four seasons in his LSU tenure, Trent Johnson needs a few more years to be compared to Maravich, Brady or Brown, but the record at this time shows he has been the least productive at home, on the road and in the SEC when measured against his predecessors dating back to LBJ’s presidency.
Dale Brown is the standard by which Tiger cage mentors will be measured, but even Daddy Dale struggled in the years before 1978 and after 1992. During the 15-season period from 1977-78 to 1991-92, LSU was an impressive 71-63 on the road in the SEC (53.0 Pct). In Brown’s other nine seasons, LSU struggled to a 20-65 record in the league (23.5 Pct).
LSU has the capacity for spurts of brilliance, but it is evident from the last half-century of competition that the Tigers prosper in the SEC when there is a perfect storm of excellent coaching and splendid talent.
From 1978 to 1992, the LSU roster included more outstanding players than years on the calendar: Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Jackson, Rudy Macklin, John Williams, DeWayne Scales, Greg Cook, Ethan Martin, Howard Carter, Leonard Mitchell, Nikita Wilson, Don Redden, Derrick Taylor, Ricky Blanton and Jerry Reynolds.
Others on the Tiger roster from 1978-92 included Kenny Higgs, Al Green, Lionel Green, Willie Sims, Johnny Jones, Jordy Hultberg, John Tudor, Stanley Roberts, Anthony Wilson, Vernel Singleton, Maurice Williamson, Wayne Sims, Geert Hammink, Oliver Brown, Jose Vargas and Darryl Joe.
At least 32 members of those teams could be considered above-average college players with four (O’Neal, Jackson, Macklin and Williams) among the best athletes in the history of the league. Should Trent Johnson or any other LSU coach return the Tigers to the top of the standings, it will require the same recruiting bonanza that occurred every year during the best years of Dale Brown.
LSU Basketball SEC Road Records: 1966-2012
Year Road Winning Percent
2011-12 1-7 12.5
2010-11 2-6 25
2009-10 0-8 0
2008-09 6-2 75
2007-08 3-5 37.5
2006-07 0-8 0
2005-06 6-2 75
2004-05 4-4 50
2003-04 3-5 37.5
2002-03 2-6 25
2001-02 2-6 37.5
2000-01 1-7 12.5
1999-00 5-3 62.5
1998-99 0-8 0
1997-98 1-7 12.5
1996-97 0-8 0
1995-96 1-7 12.5
1994-95 3-5 37.5
1993-94 1-7 12.5
1992-93 3-5 37.5
1991-92 6-2 75
1990-91 5-4 55.6
1989-90 4-5 44.4
1988-89 4-5 44.4
1987-88 4-5 44.4
1986-87 3-6 33.3
1985-86 3-6 33.3
1984-85 5-4 55.6
1983-84 3-6 33.3
1982-83 4-5 44.4
1981-82 4-5 44.4
1980-81 8-1 88.9
1979-80 7-2 77.8
1978-79 6-3 66.7
1977-78 5-4 55.6
1976-77 3-6 33.3
1975-76 1-8 11.1
1974-75 2-7 22.2
1973-74 2-7 22.2
1972-73 4-5 44.4
1971-72 1-8 11.1
1970-71 4-5 44.4
1969-70 6-3 66.7
1968-69 2-7 22.2
1967-68 3-6 33.3
1966-67 0-9 0
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Jim Engster is the president of Tiger Rag and Louisiana Radio Network. Reach him at jim@louisianaradionetwork.com.
Very interesting stats. But before any negative rants get reignited about this article toward Coach TJ’s record dung his 4 short years, Your point about Daddy Dale’s “lean years” should be emphasized. I remember during my teen years growing up like it was just yesterday just how lean Daddy Dale coached Years were leading up to his break out year of 1978. But the administration had patience to allow him to build and mold a team for sustained success. Then the likes of Rudy Macklin, Dewayne Scales, Al Green, Willie “the jet” Sims, “High C” Carter, and other talent that followed created a winning tradition. The PMAC got it’s “deaf dome” name because LSU basketball became exciting and a hard ticket to get. Before than milestone 1978 season though, LSU fans were “rolling their eyes” about Daddy Dale and wanted him gone after his first 5 formative years of building the program where his SEC winning % was around a miseable 20% as I recall.
Thankfully, the administration, and more importantly, the players believed in their coach. He was building something special the right way. Well other than the immediate Sr laden talent Coach TJ inherited his first year, his last 3 years have been almost identical to Daddy Dale’s first years. Next year will prove to be Coach TJ’s milestone year of turning the corner in building this program just like 1978 was for Daddy Dale. The starting lineup is back just like 1978.
t j years of req has not been up to par when the best are not req hard when a rec saids he was taken for granted an goes off to baylor.
Lsu has 10 sec titles not 9