<blockquote><p align=justify>
After showing flashes of potential off and on this basketball season, UL got its first road victory of the season Saturday night with an 83-81 win over Troy.
But something else stood out even more on that night. The Cajuns, who had battled injuries and inconsistencies for the past three months, displayed their best team chemistry of the season.
They likely got the message after a bitter 61-58 loss Thursday at New Orleans.
<center><p><a href="http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20090113/SPORTS/901130327/1006" target="_blank">The rest of the story</a>
Joshua Parrott •
jparrott@theadvertiser.com • January 13, 2009
<!--
After the loss, UL head coach Robert Lee sent assistant Byron Starks out to conduct his post-game radio show. Lee also did not make himself or his players available to the media, instead making sure everyone properly channeled their frustrations.
On Friday, Lee called a team meeting, during which the players and coaches spoke about their frustrations and the importance of accepting their various roles. In the meeting, guards Randell Daigle and Travis Bureau were voted team captains.
By the time UL (6-9 overall, 3-2 Sun Belt) took the floor the following night, Troy found itself facing a much different Cajuns team than the one that had lost five of its previous six games.
The biggest difference: a new attitude.
"Our team chemistry has gotten better because we know that if we don't have good chemistry we're not going to win," Bureau said after Monday's practice. "We've got to look after each other. We've got to play as a team. We've got to be as one.
"We need everybody on this team, and that's one thing we didn't always understand."
Bureau shares the scoring load with Daigle and sophomore guard Chris Gradnigo, who sprained his ankle against Troy. All three players have the green light to shoot from 3-point range. Bureau, who leads the team in scoring at 15.8 points per game, scored 21 points against Troy. That's even more amazing because the sharp-shooting sophomore had not practiced since hurting his groin on Dec. 15.
The trio has combined for 64.8 percent of the Cajuns' scoring this season. The catch is that Gradnigo missed the season's first four games with a staph infection. Daigle missed the first 10 games with a broken right hand. Bureau missed two games with a groin injury.
With the scoring roles defined, the other Cajuns had to be willing to do what they were asked. Newcomers Ryan McCoy and Colby Batiste round out the starting lineup at point guard and center, respectively. McCoy is a pass-first guard. Batiste provides a strong defensive presence.
Off the bench, juniors Tyren Johnson and La'Ryan Gary share time in the post with senior Emmanuel Adeife. Junior Jeremy Barr is expected to rejoin that inside rotation sometime in the next week. Guards Lamar Roberson, Corey Bloom and Willie Lago have to be ready if needed to give the squad a jolt.
But Lee said the key is to get Bureau, Gradnigo and Daigle on the floor together as much as possible. When those three have played this season together, UL is 2-2. That includes an 81-79 loss at LSU, a 63-62 win over Denver in double overtime, the three-point loss at UNO and the two-point win at Troy.
In games without those three players, the Cajuns are 4-7. That includes five double-digit losses.
"The more he (Bureau) gets in there with Randell and Chris, the better the chemistry is going to be," Lee said. "Now we're starting to find out which guys can play well together and which guys can accept their role on the team. You find that out through practice and playing in the games with your entire team.
"That's when you develop chemistry on the team."
When the players finally accepted their responsibilities, that's when things really turned around.
"Everybody now realizes their roles and what we have to do to win as a team," Batiste said. "We have to know who needs to take shots and who we have to get the ball to. On the defensive side, we know we have to pick up the intensity, rebound better and pay better attention to the scouting reports."
The improved chemistry will be needed in the next nine games, as UL plays six of those contests on the road. It all starts with Thursday's league game against Sun Belt West Division leader Arkansas-Little Rock (11-5, 4-1). The Cajuns are tied for second with Arkansas State (11-5, 3-2).
UL will go on the road to play UAB (Jan. 19), Western Kentucky (Jan. 22), Sun Belt East Division leader Middle Tennessee (Jan. 29), Florida Atlantic (Jan. 31), North Texas (Feb. 7) and ULM (Feb. 12) during that stretch.
"Right now, it's still a work in progress, but most of our guys are finally healthy," Lee said of the team's chemistry. "What you do in practice then translates into the game. It's coming along.
"We're at the stage where our basketball team will be able to get on a roll, especially with a very demanding stretch coming up."
-->
