Laney: Johnson lets players play

• By GARY LANEY
• Special to The Advocate
• Published: Mar 2, 2009 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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A long time ago, a coach told me this when asked what was the key to his success.

“Coaches coach,” he said, “and players play.”

On the surface, it sounds inane or at least shallow.

Yeah coach, and readers read and writers write.

But it makes sense when you think about it. A coach’s job, his point was, is to get players who can play, give them some structure and some parameters — a coach coaching — and then let the players do the things they have been blessed enough to have the talent to do.

If a coach overextends the coaching part, he can inadvertently stifle the player. If he doesn’t give them enough structure, the ship becomes rudderless. That’s the balancing act all coaches face.

I bring this up because as the regular season winds down and it’s time to start collecting hardware, LSU basketball coach Trent Johnson is set for his share. The SEC Coach of the Year trophy has all but been handed to him. And now, he’s become the hot name for national honors as the media starts to catch on to the Tigers.

It’s hard to argue with it. LSU has been fantastic and there’s no doubt that Johnson, in his first year in Baton Rouge after coming from Stanford, has pushed all the right buttons.

And that’s largely because he profoundly understands the old “Coaches coach and players play” dynamic.

The first impression most have when they’ve caught a glimpse of the Tigers this year is that they are a talented team that has been given a sense of direction. Johnson came in with his emphasis on three things —defense, rebounding and protecting the ball. Offense, he said, would take care of itself.

And what has happened? LSU leads the SEC in rebounding margin. It is among the SEC leaders in defense and it doesn’t turn it over.

And, oh yeah, the offense has more than taken care of itself.

Marcus Thornton, with his 21 points per game, is an SEC Player of the Year candidate. Tasmin Mitchell would be a candidate if Thornton wasn’t having such a big year. Others fill their roles. It adds up to a team that is scoring 78 points per game in SEC play.