The team had lunch with the media
then coach John Brady and selected players - Glen "Big Baby" Davis, Darrel Mitchell and Tyrus Thomas - talked for over an hour about the Tigers first
appearance in the Final Four in a decade.
The team will join the Lady Tigers,
who qualified for the Women's Final Four in Boston, in a joint pep rally Wednesday afternoon at 1:30
before they depart for Indianapolis. The Tigers (27-8) will
participate in a banquet Thursday night, practice Friday in the RCA Dome before
meeting the UCLA Bruins in a national semifinal contest Saturday night at
approximately 8 p.m.
Tiger Rag was on hand for Tuesday's
press conference and stories will soon follow on TigerRag.com. In the meantime,
here is a collection of photos taken during the luncheon.
All photos by Matt
Deville
LSU athletic
director Skip Bertman introduced coach John Brady
and the Tigers
prior to an hour-long question and answer session with the media.
Coach John Brady
and the Tigers eat together as a team.
Glen “Big Baby”
Davis talks with
the media. Not pulling a Joe Namath, Davis said the Tigers have two games left to
play and he believes LSU will win it all.
Darrel Mitchell,
who hit a game-winning three-pointer against
Texas A&M to
get the Tigers into the Sweet 16, is LSU’s lone
senior on the
team. He said he wants to end his career with a bang.
Glen Davis,
known for his behind the microphone antics, kept the large gathering of media in
stitches. He told several stories, including one about a slumber party at the
Temple home when
he was 7-years-old as well as the origin of his nickname “Big Baby.”
Glen Davis,
Darrel Mitchell and Tyrus Thomas have answered lots of questions over the past
few weeks. They, however, have never seen a media storm like the one they will
soon enter in Indianapolis at the Final Four.
Tack Minor has
sat out the first half of this season serving a suspension. Against Cincinnati, Minor tore his
meniscus, thus forcing him to miss the remainder of the year. On Monday, the
NCAA granted Minor a medical redshirt meaning he will have two more years to
play at LSU. Here he chats with Tiger Rag columnist Lee Feinswog.
One of three
freshmen in the starting lineup, Tasmin Mitchell, the only
true freshman
starter on the team, hasn’t played like a rookie this season.
Redshirt
freshman Garrett Temple did what no other player in college basketball has done
this season, shut down J.J. Redick. Temple held the all-American to 11 points as
LSU beat Duke 62-54 in the Sweet 16.
They don’t call
him “Big Baby” for nothing.
At 6-9, 310
pounds, Davis
towers over literally everyone he meets.
A look at the
Tigers hardware. LSU is hoping to add a crystal basketball
alongside its
SEC Championship and Atlanta Regional trophies.
Garrett Temple
has been tabbed as a player to watch in the
Final Four.
Considered a project entering the season, Temple has
grown into one
of the best defenders in the nation.
One of the more
quiet players on the team, Tyrus Thomas
is far from shy
on the basketball court. Here Thomas
giggles as Glen
Davis entertains everyone with a few jokes.