LSU is trying to step up their in-state basketball recruiting.

[JAG89]

Although he has mentioned about playing for Duke, LSU is the first school to offer Peabody's magnificent sophomore guard Cedric Russell a scholarship. In the past 10 years, three of Peabody's top players went to out-of-state schools like USC, Oklahoma State, and Arkansas.

http://www.nola.com/recruiting/index.ssf/2014/07/lsu_basketball_offers_scholars.html#incart_river

Markel Brown from Oklahoma State was drafted in the second round, but has made plenty noise in the NBA's Summer League of securing a spot on the Brooklyn Nets roster. His dad played for Southern University.

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/brooklyn-nets/post/_/id/20126/brown-just-beginning-has-come-so-far

 

[Jag-BR]

I'm sorry but their coach can't keep anybody and this is coming from a current player. It may look good on paper to go ball for them because they are an SEC school but we are talking about LSU bball and football or baseball. John Brady is not there anymore.

 

[JAG89]

I'm sorry but their coach can't keep anybody and this is coming from a current player. It may look good on paper to go ball for them because they are an SEC school but we are talking about LSU bball and football or baseball. John Brady is not there anymore.

I really don't think this young man will accept LSU's offer. I believe by next year, he'll probably get offers from schools like Duke, which is where he wants to play. But it is unusual for them to make an offer this early to someone from Peabody. They've always waited until the end of their Junior year or didn't make an offer at all.

 

[Jag-BR]

I really don't think this young will accept LSU's offer. I believe by next year, he'll probably get offers from schools like Duke, which is where he wants to play. But it is unusual for them to make an offer this early to someone from Peabody. They've always waited until the end of their Junior year or didn't make an offer at all.

My brother has gotten offers from Vandy, and Notre Dame. A few other schools but I can't remember. He wants to play for Duke or Kentucky. Hadn't ruled out SU either.

 

[JAG89]

My brother has gotten offers from Vandy, and Notre Dame. A few other schools but I can't remember. He wants to play for Duke or Kentucky. Hadn't ruled out SU either.

Does your brother play for Scotlandville High and what year is he entering?

 

[Jag-BR]

Does your brother play for Scotlandville High and what year is he entering?

Nah. Check your inbox

 

[JROCK]

I really don't think this young will accept LSU's offer. I believe by next year, he'll probably get offers from schools like Duke, which is where he wants to play. But it is unusual for them to make an offer this early to someone from Peabody. They've always waited until the end of their Junior year or didn't make an offer at all.

Johnny Jones is a Louisiana boy. Anyone from Louisiana that has any sense knows Peabody is one of those school you BETTER look at for basketball talent. I am not surprised. If he wants to be succesful, Scotland Magnet, Peabody Magnet, Washinton (Lake Charles) and St. Augustine are 4 schools that you certainly want to build relationships with. IMHO, these schools are the pride of Louisiana High School basketball......

 

[number1]

Johnny Jones is a Louisiana boy. Anyone from Louisiana that has any sense knows Peabody is one of those school you BETTER look at for basketball talent. I am not surprised. If he wants to be succesful, Scotland Magnet, Peabody Magnet, Washinton (Lake Charles) and St. Augustine are 4 schools that you certainly want to build relationships with. IMHO, these schools are the pride of Louisiana High School basketball......

Let him have no sense. That increases our chances at nabbing some top LA players.

 

[JAG89]

Johnny Jones is a Louisiana boy. Anyone from Louisiana that has any sense knows Peabody is one of those school you BETTER look at for basketball talent. I am not surprised. If he wants to be succesful, Scotland Magnet, Peabody Magnet, Washinton (Lake Charles) and St. Augustine are 4 schools that you certainly want to build relationships with. IMHO, these schools are the pride of Louisiana High School basketball......

You are right, but Johnny Jones better be careful, because the schools you listed are traditionally Black high schools in Louisiana. Although traditionally black high schools are some of Louisiana's best basketball schools, LSU is not known to recruit from those schools. I still remember when I was in junior high school and witnessed Peabody winning the 1979 3A State Championship over Redemptorist High School from Baton Rouge. LSU didn't recruit none of Peabody's players, which had individuals like Paul Thompson, Napoleon "Nap" Johnson, and Russell Jones. But LSU did recruit Howard "Hi-C" Carter from Redemptorist High who was an outstanding basketball player. Paul Thompson went on to play for Tulane. It was most people opinion in Alexandria that Russell Jones was the best player Peabody had on that 1979 State Championship team. He went on to play for Grambling. I believe Nap initially played for Northwestern State and later transferred to Grambling. LSU even recruited a White kid by the name of John Tudor from Pineville High the following year.

 

[JROCK]

You are right, but Johnny Jones better be careful, because the schools you listed are traditionally Black high schools in Louisiana. Although traditionally black high schools are some of Louisiana's best basketball schools, LSU is not known to recruit from those schools. I still remember when I was in junior high school and witnessed Peabody winning the 1979 3A State Championship over Redemptorist High School from Baton Rouge. LSU didn't recruit none of Peabody's players, which had individuals like Paul Thompson, Napoleon "Nap" Johnson, and Russell Jones. But LSU did recruit Howard "Hi-C" Carter from Redemptorist High who was an outstanding basketball player. Paul Thompson went on to play for Tulane. It was most people opinion in Alexandria that Russell Jones was the best player Peabody had on that 1979 State Championship team. He went on to play for Grambling. I believe Nap initially played for Northwestern State and later transferred to Grambling. LSU even recruited a White kid by the name of John Tudor from Pineville High the following year.

I remember those guys real well and saw them play. Actually Nap played for Texas Southern and later transferred to Grambling.

 

[JAG89]

I remember those guys real well and saw them play. Actually Nap played for Texas Southern and later transferred to Grambling.

Okay...I knew he transferred from somewhere. I believe Nap's dad my fraternity brother the late Nap Sr. finished from Texas Southern. Also, I believed Texas Southern offered every senior on that team a scholarship. They were very impressive in 1978-79. They defeated Clyde Drexler and his high school (Sterling High School) in winning some big Houston, Texas tournament.

 

[JROCK]

Okay...I knew he transferred from somewhere. I believe Nap's dad my fraternity brother the late Nap Sr. finished from Texas Southern. Also, I believed Texas Southern offered every senior on that team a scholarship. They were very impressive in 1978-79. They defeated Clyde Drexler and his high school (Sterling High School) in winning some big Houston, Texas tournament.

Southern took Nap and Grambling to the woodshed. We had a guy named Tony Murphy- Patterson, NJ (one of the best I've ever seen) and Alvin Jackson from (Marion {before it was Washington-Marion} Lake Charles)....Those were guards going to the hole like Nap wasn't even there.... :lol: :emlaugh:

 

[Buc98]

LSU has no bias when it comes to recruiting, hell Lester Earl's son will be receiving a scholarship offer soon from Les Miles assuming he can keep his nose clean from hear on out.

 

[JAG89]

LSU has no bias when it comes to recruiting, hell Lester Earl's son will be receiving a scholarship offer soon from Les Miles assuming he can keep his nose clean from hear on out.

I don't doubt that but LSU hadn't recruited too many basketball players from traditional Black high schools in Louisiana. I still remembered when most of St.Aug. players were recruited by Georgetown, which is how Avery Johnson ended up at Southern by being overlooked by Georgetown.

 

[JAG89]

Southern took Nap and Grambling to the woodshed. We had a guy named Tony Murphy- Patterson, NJ (one of the best I've ever seen) and Alvin Jackson from (Marion {before it was Washington-Marion} Lake Charles)....Those were guards going to the hole like Nap wasn't even there.... :lol: :emlaugh:

A lot people at Peabody didn't think that Nap was all that great in guarding the paint for a big man, but he was good at snatching down rebounds and clearing the lane. If someone stood near him after a rebound, they just might get a mouth full of elbow. Nap had long arms and he would always swinging his elbows around after a rebound. I'm sure Grambling didn't have quite the supporting cast (Paul and Russell) that Nap had at Peabody. I can still hear Nap's dad Mr. Johnson sitting in the crowd yelling louder then everyone else saying, "Nap, get the ball boy, I taught you better than that". My parents would go to the games just to hear Mr. Johnson yelling at the top of his voice throughout the whole game. They found that very entertaining. Nap's dad would push him harder than the average parent would. I think it would make Nap more upset and frustrated hearing his dad yelling at him throughout a game.

Peabody had other players before Paul, Nap, and Russell that were just as good, such as Fredrick Piper who attended Northwestern State and Richard Alexander who didn't get a chance to play college basketball, but either one them could have easily made LSU's team back then. Richard Alexander probably had one of the highest vertical leaps that ever come from Peabody, which is what most of Peabody's player are known for. I remember watching them challenging each other by leaping up and placing a quarter on the top of a backboard and leaping up to get it off. Sad thing, Frederick Piper and Richard Alexander are both now dead. I'm sure by Lewis being older than me, he could tell you who else was good back then.

Piper started all 103 games he played at Northwestern, becoming the Demons' third all-time leading rebounder (941, a 9.1 average) and 18th in scoring (1,213 points, an 11.8 average). He posted a career 51.8 field goal percentage and a 10th-place ranking in blocked shots (76).

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?id=2829572

Also, Nap's dad taught us swimming lessons through the Red Cross during the summers at the City's Cheatham Park Pool across from Peabody, which is now a row of concrete basketball courts. Both Nap and his older sister were great swimmers. Mr. Johnson used to love to get them to demonstrate different swimming strokes to us and we used to love watching the sister demonstrate something for us. I don't know if we really paid any attention to how she was swimming, but man she was definitely beauty in motion. Good thing we were short and 4 feet of water was above our waist line, because our parents would have saw a bunch of excited little boys stand in cold water. :emlaugh: