November 19, 2021
ROUND 2
… Coming off an exhilarating 42-14 win over rival Central on the road in the first round of the playoffs, Coach Brett Beard's Denham Springsgs HS Football team plays host to Ouachita HS tonight (November 19) in a second round playoff game… Kickoff is 7pm
You can catch all the action on Family Radio, 91.9 FM, Baton Rouge and on the Internet at JonFineProductions.com
Sport N Center Yellow Jackets Warmup airs at 6pm
Mario Jerez provides play-by-play, Mitch Covington is the color commentator, and yours truly, Jon Fine, assists with Sport N Center Yellow Jackets Warmup, North Oaks Health Systems Half-Time Report and Ralph Sellers Chevrolet Post-Game Show.
GUESTS ON BROADCAST
Jon Fine will interview Ouachita HS Football color commentator Dez Lightning (a former Ouachita FB star and All-American at McNeese State) on Sport-N-Center Yellow Jackets Warmup
2021 Denham Springs HS Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Blaine Posey (a Jackets Baseball and Football great) comes on North Oaks Health Systems Half-Time Report
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TODAY’S COLUMN: Scott discusses LSU Hoops
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THE WIZARDRY OF OS
Thank goodness for LSU basketball, because football has not been fun the last two weeks.
4 points separate the Saints from 5-4 and 7-2. Meanwhile, LSU has only managed 27 points in the last two football games. I don’t want to rehash all that, though. Let’s have some fun.
Let’s bask in the glory of Florida giving up 52 points to Samford. Let’s celebrate Kansas beating Texas in overtime. In the NFL, it is not as if the Saints just traded for two players in a move to be “all in” and then got throttled by a sub.500 team in San Francisco. Yes, the fan side of me is very petty.
Bringing it back to LSU basketball, the Tigers did something they have not done the last two years. LSU beat the first high quality mid-major opponent on the schedule. Last season, they lost at St. Louis, and the year before they fell at VCU. Both games, LSU should have won, but they needed to do the little things to pull the game out and they did not. This team was fortunate to have Liberty at home, but it is the little things that make me excited about this year’s team.
The effort to blockout, sharing the basketball to get higher quality shots, and being more disruptive on defense are just some of the ways this team has been fun to watch the first three games. I love that Wade has this team pushing the ball in transition on made shots. Getting easy shots before the opponent gets set is something I have wondered why LSU has not been willing to do recently.
LSU is long, athletic, and skilled. Efton Reid is the most talented scorer around the basket LSU has had in a while. And he defends! Darius Days has taken the next step and is a legitimate first team All-SEC candidate.
Tari Eason was in foul trouble against Liberty, but I love his game. He is strong, can finish with either hand, and is a solid shooter. Also, he has a strong, athletic body that will hold up nicely in conference play.
Alex Fudge and Mwani Wilkinson are excellent role players who play hard, rebound, defend, and have above average skill. Brandon Murray will be an excellent 15-20 minute contributor if he continues to make open shots.
Pinson and Gaines will have to find their way into the paint to break down defenses and set up Days, Murray, and Eason to knock down shots.
My biggest concerns about this team, though, is foul trouble and guard play. So far, Pinson and Gaines are too loose with the ball for my taste. I have heard Coach Wade say that Gaines makes up for his propensity to turn the ball over with defensive effort and ability to make plays in transition. I hear what Wade is saying, but am not convinced Gaines can make the positive plays necessary against the highest quality teams on the schedule.
The foul trouble mostly relates to Days’ history of foul trouble. He cannot waste fouls this year as he has in the past. While I enjoyed watching LSU force turnovers against Liberty, the officiating was considerably looser than what we normally see in SEC games. Gaines, Days, and others were doing a whole lot of reaching that will lead to fouls down the road.
The 8 man rotation is set for now, but injuries, illness, and other things happen during the season. LSU needs one more guard and one more big to make it through the year. The big that could help is Shareef O’Neal. This summer, there was some film of O’Neal finally getting healthy and showing his athleticism. Then, he hurt himself again. Fortunately, there is hope that he will return for the meat of the schedule.
Guard is the position where I am very concerned about the lack of depth. With Adam Miller out, nobody that has played has given me confidence that this team would be able to handle losing Pinson or Gaines for any period of time. Justice Williams is a freshman that reclassified so he could attend LSU this year, but we have yet to see him on the court.
When LSU has disappointing football seasons, the fans typically turn out in greater numbers and with more hunger for victories in basketball. It gives me great pleasure to say that this team will be one that will play off the energy of the crowd and make the PMAC a tough place for opponents this season.
DENHAM SPRINGS HS FOOTBALL RADIO BROADCASTS ARE A JON FINE PRODUCTION ON FAMILY RADIO, 91.9 FM, BATON ROUGE and JonFineProductions.com.
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