Fantastic Freshmen

There has been no missing Tyrus Thomas during the NCAA tournament.

The Louisiana State forward stunned Duke with his five blocks and ravenous need to swat at every Blue Devil shot. He made a dramatic end-to-end block, rebound, run and dunk play that left All-American Shelden Williams awestruck. He was named most valuable player of the Atlanta Regional ahead, even, of his more accomplished teammate, sophomore Glen “Big Baby” Davis.

And yet Tiger Coach John Brady says that while Thomas is the master of the spectacular, two other freshmen -- guard Garrett Temple and forward Tasmin Mitchell -- are just as crucial to LSU’s further success this season.

Though UCLA has prospered this season with a young starting lineup that includes a freshman and two sophomores, its opponent in Saturday’s NCAA semifinal, LSU, is even younger. There is a senior point guard, Darrel Mitchell. And there is the rotund, chatty, entirely captivating center Davis.

But there are also three freshmen, Thomas, guard Temple and forward Mitchell.

Thomas has been the crowd pleaser the last two weeks. He nearly touches the top of the backboard when he goes after rebounds. Twice in last weekend’s regionals, Thomas caught shots when they were still going up, causing gasps from the stands. He is 6 feet 9, 220 pounds and still growing.

When LSU nearly beat Connecticut -- losing, 67-66 -- in Storrs in January, Thomas scored 15 points, had 13 rebounds and blocked seven shots against the then No. 1-ranked team in the country. Connecticut Coach Jim Calhoun said afterward, “Thomas is a scary, freaky athlete. He blocked a dunk and it really wasn’t goaltending. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

A year ago, Thomas was a sulking redshirt, kept out of the game ostensibly because he hurt his neck early but also because Brady said he felt Thomas was still too weak to compete in the Southeastern Conference. But in the last two years. Thomas has grown two inches, gained 30 pounds and harnessed his athletic potential.

“I remember playing in a recreation league game with Tyrus when we were 4 years old,” Temple said. “It was in a city park about a mile away from LSU. I think he was blocking shots then. I just remember how high Tyrus could jump.”

Temple also redshirted last season, partly to keep close to Thomas. Temple was a 6-5 defensive blanket on Duke’s J.J. Redick in the regional semifinals. It was Temple’s unbending effort that held Redick to a three-for-18 shooting night.

“Garrett loves to play defense,” Thomas said. “Really. He loves it. We’re at practice and the rest of us want to run and shoot. Not Garrett. He’s always watching film to be better at defense.”

The third freshman starter is the quietest and maybe the most valuable.

Brady said that Mitchell, a sturdily built 6-7 swingman who had career-high scoring nights in three of LSU’s last six games going into the NCAA tournament, is the glue of the Tigers.

“Tasmin gets overshadowed,” Brady said. “Glen is a bigger-than-life guy and everybody can see how spectacular Tyrus is. But Tasmin Mitchell has been the most consistent freshman for us this year. Without Tasmin, we’re not going to the Final Four.

“You need someone to make a pass? Tasmin does it. Rebound? Ask Tasmin. Defend? He’ll do it. Tasmin is the ultimate team guy.”

In his first college game, Mitchell led the Tigers in scoring (19 points) and rebounding (12) against Southern.

“That wasn’t so great,” Mitchell said last week in Atlanta. “Early in the year I was making a lot of turnovers and I didn’t know what I was doing on defense. In high school I had always been the biggest guy so I was always inside. Here Coach Brady told me I had to learn how to guard on the perimeter. On the first day of practice guys were driving by me. That opens a guy’s eyes, you know? Nobody drove by me in high school.”

Not many drive past Mitchell now, though. At least not often. And if they do?

“We’ve got Tyrus back there,” Mitchell said. “What’s good about blocking shots is that we all get pumped when he swats somebody’s ball. It’s like a spark, just like a dunk. Except with the blocks we see the other team losing the heart.”

Collis Temple, Garrett’s father and a former LSU player himself, watched Thomas celebrating the Tigers’ win over Texas in the regional final last Saturday and spoke of Thomas’ mentality.

“Tyrus plays on the edge,” he said. “There’s a mind-set about blocking shots. You have to take a little chance. You’re leaving a man unguarded for a minute. You have to believe in your ability.”

The three freshmen walked off the court at the Georgia Dome together after the Tigers beat Texas in overtime. Thomas, the shot blocker, the intimidator, the showman. Temple, the defensive stopper, the coach on the floor. Mitchell, the rebounder when needed, the passer when needed, the scorer when needed.

“We’re going to Indy,” one of them shouted.

Which one? It didn’t matter.