Robinson off to St. James
July 3, 2017
Ellender looking to make magic happen again in 2017
July 3, 2017
I thought summer was a quiet time for sports.
Not this week!
The calendar flipped to July this past week and headlines in the world of sports exploded to a whole new level of interesting.
We’ve had LSU competing for a championship, NBA free agency and tons of other local news – all in the past week.
You asked about it all and more in this week’s Q&A, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
To send questions for the future, e-mail casey@rushing-media.com or tweet me @casey_gisclair.
Q: Who will make the bigger impact in 2017-18? Paul George to OKC or Chris Paul to Houston?
A: Look, I’m a huge Rockets fan, so I’m naturally going to be pulled toward where my loyalties lie. But trying to look at this as objectively as possible, I do think Chris Paul is the right answer. By getting CP3, the Rockets are closer to the top of the pack in the NBA’s Western Conference – a threat to possibly push the Warriors off their throne if things fall a certain way. Paul George is a terrific player, but I’m not sure if anyone realistically believes he will make the Thunder into a title contender. That, and I think it’s sort of understood that he’s going to walk at the end of the season and be a rental. Because of longevity, I go with Paul.
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Q: Your thoughts watching LSU baseball last week?
A: I thought the ending to the season stunk, but that the Tigers had a great year. Look, people seem to forget this, but LSU was without arguably its best hitter for the entire season in Bryce Jordan. Add in an injury to Eric Walker and slumps from Kramer Robertson and Cole Freeman at the worst possible times and it’s amazing the Tigers made it as far as they did, honestly.
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Q: What prep football game most intrigues you in 2017?
A: I’m a “right out of the gate” kind of guy, so I go to Week 1 and the battle between Vandebilt and Thibodaux. For my dollar, I think Vandebilt is the best team in this area in 2017. With Andrew Robison under center and talented backs and receivers around him, I don’t know how they won’t be. But Thibodaux is always a big dog, too, which makes this matchup sexy for everyone involved. If Robison and the Terriers get this one in the bag to start the season, they just might go undefeated. The rest of the schedule sets up pretty nicely with Shaw, South Lafourche, Assumption and E.D. White all at home.
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Q: Which local football signee will make the biggest freshman impact in 2017?
A: It’s not exactly going out on a limb here, but I am going to take Davontavean Martin to do big things at Washington State. He’s the highest ranked local player, yes. But he is also going to the biggest conference, which poses challenges in its own right. I pick Martin because I think he fits what Washington State wants well. He’s a big, sure-handed target who is athletic enough to run crisp routes. For a team that throws the ball sometimes 70 times a game, how can that not work out?
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Q: What is the biggest problem facing the LHSAA right now?
A: Lack of enforcement of its own rules and gray area within said rules, which makes it impossible to punish the rule breakers. Here locally, we have a big-time problem with transfer students leaving one school and going to the next one without any penalty at all. In Terrebonne Parish, we have seven schools – all within just a couple miles of one another. Boundary rules are strict, yes. But in such a tight, compact area, it’s awfully easy for one player to play for Team A in one season, but then play for Team B in the next – all for strictly athletic reasons, which, of course, is against the rules. I won’t mention any names, but it’s happened in the past and it’s happening now. Some situations are legitimate, yes. But some aren’t. And the LHSAA doesn’t do enough to police it all, so it becomes a big free agency system.
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Q: Pound for pound, who was the best prep team in 2016-17? Any sport.
A: If we’re going any sport, I will pick the Vandebilt girls’ soccer team. They were a dominant force throughout the season – a team that was a on a collision course with the state championship from the very start of the season. It’s also worth shouting out the Ellender girls’ basketball team because they were absolutely ridiculous this past season, often completely manhandling the competition throughout games. If we’re picking a boys’ team, I will probably go with E.D. White’s baseball team. Their playoff run was disappointing, but goodness, they were dominant throughout the season.
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Q: What record do you predict for the Saints next season?
A: I get called a Saints hater all the time by readers and people on social media. For the past three seasons, I’ve said in this newspaper that the team would struggle to succeed. Guess what? They’ve struggled to succeed for three-straight years. Does that make me a hater? Or does that make me the only warm-blooded Cajun capable of seeing the forest from the trees? I think it’s the latter. But before I get too far off on a tangent, I will answer the question and say that I think the Saints will struggle again in 2017-18. I think they made their roster better – slightly. But injuries to the offensive and defensive lines will do them in. It’s not good to be battered and blue in the trenches – before even putting the pads on.
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Q: In 2 years, will Boogie Cousins be a Pelican? In 5 years will Anthony Davis be a Pelican?
A: No. And yes. Cousins isn’t a willing player. He’s been unhappy everywhere he’s ever been. He will find a way to be unhappy this season and will look to get out of town. Davis is truly 50/50 to me. He can make so much more money in New Orleans – just based on how the NBA rules are written. That, and I think by the time his contract is up, the team may have new leadership – if not new ownership altogether, which can help restore some honor and legitimacy to a franchise which is a laughing stock. So I say no to Boogie, but yes to Davis – albeit barely.
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Q: How many wins does LSU football need for Coach O to have a successful season?
A: I say 10. With Alabama, Florida, Tennessee and BYU – all away from home – I say 10.
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Q: How many hot dogs could you eat on an empty stomach?
A: Oh gosh. What a great question with the Fourth of July yesterday. On a completely empty stomach and with no regard for how I might feel for the rest of the day or week, I think I can get seven or eight down. Anything more than that, and I am in a food coma. Heck, even that amount might get me there. •
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