NCAA Tournament 2000 - Tigers burning bright on Bayou

Tigers burning bright on Bayou
Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. -- They haven't had this kind of party in Baton Rouge in years, haven't had this kind of reason to celebrate. But suddenly -- and to the surprise of many -- basketball at LSU is fun again.

"This is more fun than anything," Stromile Swift said. "This is what we've been dreaming about all year. This is what I've been dreaming about all my life."

More than 100 fans gathered with the team to watch the selection broadcast on Sunday. They cheered as coach John Brady introduced each player and assistant coach.

"There's not a better story in all of college basketball anywhere in the country," Brady said.

He then proceeded to list the Tigers accomplishments this season -- they beat more ranked teams than any other LSU team (five, including then No. 4 Arizona), won the Southeastern Conference Western Division for the first time in school history and were co-champions of the conference.

"I'm not really sure what to do up here," Brady told the crowd. "I've never done this kind of thing before."

"Don't worry," someone in the crowd yelled. "We don't either."

LSU has made 15 appearances in the NCAA tournament. But that was back in the glory days of basketball at the school, when Dale Brown took the Tigers to the Final Four twice and the likes of Shaquille O'Neal played for the school.

Preseason predictions this year were that LSU would finish last in the SEC.

Brady was hired to replace Dale Brown in 1997, coming from Samford where he had an 89-77 record in his six years. His coaching history before that was a 129-49 record at Crowley (La.) High School.

Brady took over to find an NCAA investigation under way and was left to deal with the subsequent probation over cash payments and other violations involving Lester Earl during Brown's tenure. Brady ended up with scholarship restrictions that left him able to sign just four players over a two-year period. The Tigers have just nine scholarship players on the team and will be limited for two more years.

"When I got here I thought we had a chance to get to the NCAA's," Jabari Smith said. "But sometimes I was a little worried if it would be before I graduated."

Sunday's celebration drew only a couple of signs of displeasure. The crowd thought LSU should have been higher than a No. 4 seed.

"At this stage, I'm just happy to be going anywhere to play anybody," Brady said. "Last year we were a zero seed."

The crowed booed outright when Arizona was named as a No. 1. Then cheered when they finally found out that LSU was going to the West Region where Arizona is.

So what did Brady think of the possibility of playing them again?

"I don't know what to say when people ask me that," Brady said. "Arizona is fine. We beat them at our place. I don't think Arizona is looking forward to playing us again."


Search for on