Where does Jay Ladner’s USM program stand in Year 2? Here’s a look at the big picture.
The Southern Miss basketball team is better than it was a year ago in Jay Ladner’s second season on the job, but they’re still not quite ready to hang with a squad the quality of Louisiana Tech.
La. Tech’s current run of talent-laden teams started with Mike White’s first season as the Bulldogs’ head coach in 2011-12. When Eric Konkol was hired in in 2015, he picked up where White, who is now at Florida, left off.
Louisiana Tech has continually brought in players that look the part at every position, and can play. There’s also been enough depth on the bench to get through the rigors of a long season.
Ladner’s squad isn’t there just yet.
On Thursday night, Louisiana Tech (13-5, 6-3) toppled USM 76-63 at Reed Green Coliseum in Hattiesburg to hand the Golden Eagles their third consecutive defeat.
USM put in a good showing in the first half, leading to a 37-37 tie at the break.
In the second half, it was all Bulldogs.
“It was a perplexing second half,” Ladner said. “I thought we played well in the first half. They hit a three (at the end of the first half), but that shouldn’t carry that much into the second half.
“Maybe I was too nice at the half, too complimentary. Whatever I said or didn’t say, I was wrong.”
Louisiana Tech is one of the better teams in Conference USA as proven by its 63-58 win at Western Kentucky on Jan. 9, so there’s no shame in the outcome, but Thursday night’s contest was critical for USM. After falling on back-to-back nights at UTSA last week, three consecutive road contests await — 2 p.m. on Saturday at Louisiana Tech and then a pair of games at Rice on Feb. 5-6.
You can’t let a bad weekend in San Antonio snowball in the middle of the conference slate.
The task against La. Tech (13-5, 6-3) gets only tougher in Ruston on Saturday. Southern Miss has now lost three straight to stand at 7-9 overall and 3-6 in Conference USA play.
USM needs a big man under the basket
With the 6-foot-8 DeAndre Pinckney back and healthy after battling a concussion early in the season, the Golden Eagles certainly look the part more than they have in recent seasons.
In Pinckney and the 6-8 Tyler Stevenson, USM has two legitimate frontcourt players who would play for just about any other team in Conference USA.
In Sadler’s first year and for five seasons under his predecessor, Doc Sadler, there was usually one man in the post with four other guards doing their best out-pace and out-shoot the opponent.
Even with forwards like Pinckney, Stevenson, Denijay Harris and Tyler Moorman, there’s not much you can do when La. Tech has players like 6-foot-7, 275-pound freshman Kenneth Lofton Jr. and West Virginia transfer Andrew Gordon, who is 6-10, 260.
“They had big bodied guys and that wears on a big guy,” Ladner said. “Every possession, we were working our tail off at our size to block out, play defense and rebound. That’s something that will take it out of you.”
It’s been a long time since USM has had players of that size in the post who are able push around people. Stevenson, who is averaging 13.8 points and 7.5 rebounds, and Pinckney are athletic forwards who don’t mind getting out on the perimeter, but aren’t exactly the type you expect to go toe-to-toe with 270-pound men under the basket every time down the court.
While Ladner likes the group of frontcourt players he has, he’s going to have to find a big man or two to hang with C-USA squads that feature players with NBA bodies meant to do damage in the post.
“That’s got to be a priority for us in terms of recruiting,” Ladner said. “We do need a big, big body … a rim protector that will guard another team’s big. That’s a big priority.”
Southern Miss has key pieces in place
The play of Stevenson and Pinckney in recent weeks has been cause for hope. They both pitched in 15 points a piece Thursday night.
Even more encouraging has been the gradual improvement of first-year transfer point guard Tae Hardy, who also had 15 points, and freshman shooting guard Jaron Pierre Jr..
Pierre didn’t have one of his better nights Thursday night, hitting a pair of 3-pointers for six points, but there’s good reason to believe he is a player that Ladner can build around. The New Orleans product is averaging 10.6 points a game and hitting 43.5 percent of his 3-pointers.
Against Louisiana Tech, he faced a group of experienced players who know what it takes to win each night out in C-USA.
“You’re going to have those freshman moments with Jaron,” Ladner said. “You have those games where he’s been explosive, but he’s not going to be there every single night.”
As a 6-foot-5 freshman with loads of potential, Pierre can eventually get to a point where he’s the player you hitch your wagon to.
If Ladner fills in the pieces of the puzzle around him and gets the big man who can complement players like Pinckney and Stevenson in the post, Southern Miss can get to a point to where it won’t allow a team like Louisiana Tech push them around for a solid 20 minutes.
USM isn’t there yet, but the path to building a team that will consistently compete every night in Conference USA is much clearer than it was a year ago.
