The Book: 2007-08 Ragin' Cajuns Basketball

[RaisingCajun08]

_ I'm excited," Dees said. "To be 4-0 in this league is huge. We're going to take about half a day to enjoy this one."

That is the right attitude, take half a day to celebrate, and then go back to work. I really like this team. _

This is the kind of team that I like to see in any sport. The might not have the tallent to blow out everyone that is put in front of them. BUT they have the heart of Champions and will fight till the end. In my mind, win lose or draw that is all you can ask from any team.

[Cajun Express]

_ This is the kind of team that I like to see in any sport. The might not have the tallent to blow out everyone that is put in front of them.

There is plenty of talent on this team, it just needs maturation and time.

[RaisingCajun08]

_ There is plenty of talent on this team, it just needs maturation and time. _

You are 100% correct. I was mainly talking about the skill at this particular point in the season and earlier in the season. It is already obvious the maturity that this team is receiving is making them better every day. It will be fun to watch this team in 2 years.

We have a couple tough road games ahead of us at UALR & North Texas then a home game before Utah Valley State comes to the Cajundome. If we can run through that schedule without a loss or even 1 loss, Robert Lee could possibly get the 7,500+ crowd to show up for the Western Kentucky game on Jan 19th.

WOW! Ragin Cajun roller coasters are fun!

[zephyr]

_ You are 100% correct. I was mainly talking about the skill at this particular point in the season and earlier in the season. It is already obvious the maturity that this team is receiving is making them better every day. It will be fun to watch this team in 2 years.

We have a couple tough road games ahead of us at UALR & North Texas then a home game before Utah Valley State comes to the Cajundome. If we can run through that schedule without a loss or even 1 loss, Robert Lee could possibly get the 7,500+ crowd to show up for the Western Kentucky game on Jan 19th.

WOW! Ragin Cajun roller coasters are fun! _

I agree with you but I think we should start bringing in that type of crowd every home game, regardless if we win on this next road streak or not. People see that we have a talented yet young team that doesn't give up, plays hard and is exciting to watch. I would think that all cajun fans should be watching these games when they get the chance. I'd hate to see us lose a game or so and all of a sudden, we're putting 3,000 in the dome again.

[NewsCopy]

Fourteen games into this basketball season, UL guard David Dees believes his Ragin' Cajuns have developed an identity. "We get jumped on early, somehow we fight back into the game and find a way to compete," Dees said. "It's just been lately we've found a way to win and not just be competitive." That scenario played out again Saturday as UL erased a 13-point deficit in the second half to beat New Orleans, 67-57, in a Sun Belt Conference thriller before 5,621 at the Cajundome. Here's how the Ragin' Cajuns (7-7 overall, 4-0 SBC) won their fourth straight game to remain atop the SBC West Division: They took the lead twice in the final three minutes, but it was still a one-point game until sophomore Randell Daigle took control. He helped UL close the game on an 11-2 run, scoring 10 of his 13 points in the final 1:48. The rest of the story Joshua Parrott jparrott@theadvertiser.com

[NewsCopy]

Randell Daigle has made at least one three-pointer in 12 straight games. Game Night Story Lines: Three weeks after starting the season five games below .500, Louisiana (7-7, 4-0) is now atop the Sun Belt Conference West Division standings, one and a half games ahead of Thursday’s opponent, the UALR Trojans (10-4, 2-1)... The Cajuns have won six of their last seven games, including a solid 3-0 start to the conference schedule at home... UALR is 7-1 at home in the Jack Stephens Center this season, winning the last six contests. However, after a 9-1 start, the Trojans have struggled of late, losing three of their last four... Since Louisiana pulled out a stunning 68-67 victory on the road against the ULM Warhawks on Dec. 16, the Cajuns have won their last three SBC games by an average of 13 points... Louisiana’s successes during its four-game winning streak have been in part to the play of its "Big Four" - Randell Daigle, Chris Gradnigo, Travis Bureau and La’Ryan Gary. The foursome is averaging 40.3 of Louisiana’s 73.2 points per game during the four-game stretch...Randell Daigle is the only player to average double digits during Louisiana’s four-game win streak, pouring in 12.5 points per game, while shooting 52 percent from three-point range (13-of-25)... Louisiana’s non-starters have contributed to the Cajuns’ turnaround, as well. In Saturday’s 10-point win over New Orleans, the reserves out-scored the Privateers’ non-starters 41-0... Randell Daigle has made at least one three-point field in 12 consecutive games, including three or more in the last four contests... Entering Saturday’s game with UNO, Chris Gradnigo was the only Cajun to have made at least one field goal in every game this season. However, his streak ended vs. New Orleans, as the freshman went 0-for-5 from the field. UALR Preview. UALR enters Thursday’s contest with a 7-1 home court record; however, the Trojans have lost three of their last four games - all on the road. Saturday, Arkansas State opened the second half on a 23-2 run on its way to a 77-62 win over the UALR Trojans... The Indians trailed 30-29 at the break, but scored 14 unanswered points at the start of the second half, which quickly built to a 23-2 run over the first 7:16 to take a 52-32 lead. UALR never recovered from its 20-point deficit, as the Indians shot 66.7 percent over the final 20 minutes, while holding the Trojans to a meager 9-of-30 showing (30.0 percent)... Prior to Saturday’s meltdown, the Trojans easily defeated UNO 84-75, handing the Privateers their first conference loss of the season... UALR, which is averaging 68.4 points per game through the first 14 contests of the season, are holding opponents to under 60 points per game (59.8). The Trojans are shooting 42.7 percent from the field, while their opponents are shooting just 38.3 percent. After the UALR game...Louisiana will head west to face another West Division foe in defending Sun Belt tournament champion and NCAA participant North Texas Saturday, Jan. 12, in Denton. A Win by Louisiana...would give the Ragin’ Cajuns their fourth 5-0 start in Sun Belt Conference play in conference history. It would also be Louisiana’s first 2-0 SBC start on the road since the 1999-2000 season when the Cajuns won their first five SBC road games. A Loss by Louisiana...would drop the Cajuns to 4-1 in the Sun Belt West Division and snap Louisiana’s four-game winning streak. Second-Half Comeback. Saturday night, Louisiana found itself trailing at the half for the eighth time this season. But, for just the third time this season, the Cajuns were victorious in the end. The Cajuns erased a nine-point halftime deficit to defeat New Orleans 67-57 Saturday in the CAJUNDOME...After dropping their first four contests when trailing at the half, the Cajuns have won three of their last four, including wins over ULM, Hawai`i and UNO. Louisiana’s only loss was to the Ohio Bobcats...In fact, against both ULM (30-21) and New Orleans (32-23), the Cajuns were trailing by nine at intermission. Balanced Scoring Attack. In Saturday’s win over New Orleans, eleven of Louisiana’s 12 players scored with eight of them scoring at least four points. The Cajuns had just two players scoring more than 10 points (David Dees, 14; Randell Daigle, 13). RaginCajuns.com

[NewsCopy]

Coach was all smiles. In fact, he has not had to buy a meal in days as people are always ready to buy his lunch or dinner as he goes out around town. Here are a few key points. He still does not think we are playing at the level we are capable of. Offensively, when shots start to drop we are going to be very tough. In the meantime, we will stay in games with our defense and we know we will come back if we get behind. We may start putting names on the back of the jerseys soon if kids continue to realize that the name on the front is what counts. Regarding playing so many guys, he was beginning to listen to guys who told him to cut the rotation. However, in Saturday's game Bo was wearing out Dees and Milsap which forced him to go to Dison. Bureau and Gradnigo could not hit a shot which caused him to ask Bloom if he was ready. Bloom responded "Coach, I've been ready". What happened Saturday tells him he was correct in playing so many during pre conference. As far as the inbounds pass under the basket is concerned, he does not like it when we throw it into the backcourt to Daigle. It often happens when Dees takes the ball out. David may not be patient enough for the 2nd and 3rd options to pop open. Gary or Johnson may start taking it out soon and the guys working to get open closer to the basket need to work harder. Bureau, Gary, and Milson were there and they came straight from practice. Bureau sat at the table Billy and I were at. He said he is trying to figure out why his shot is off right now. He plans to do extra work on his own time to get it to come back. Indoor facility helps in that regard. I told him to fake the three, drive, pull up, and use the glass when he can in order to get out of the slump. That way he won't get the charge or turnover. Note he had never heard of John Wooden who was a big proponent of the bank shot. That shows you how old we are and how young he is. He said Coach LeBato has been telling him the same thing about using the glass. Now, I don't have any business telling a college basketball player things. It was said in fun during the conversation. Young man was shy. Of course I expect it as he probably did not feel comfortable sitting around with a bunch of middle age guys. Coach Lee makes them do that in order to prepare them for the real world. LaRyan Gary was asked about the intentional foul. He said he was going to go to the glass to try to get a rebound when the UNO guy grabbed him and pulled him nearly to the court. He was shocked at someone doing something like that in front of an official. On the UNO message boards, they are using that call as evidence the refs screwed them. They neglect the point that despite that and Farlow getting tossed for profanity, we still shot less free throws than they did. That is all about the past week. UALR will be tough as they can't afford to get further behind in the standings and they rebound real well. That is about it. There is another meeting next week. Maybe you can get away for that. In general, I think you get more info from Coach Lee than the football guys. Maybe it's because you are dealing with a smaller no. of guys. If I think of anything else, I will let you know. (paragraphs added)

[CajunRed]

From only one of many who can't make the Rebounders Club meetings, I appreciate you doing this for us. It allows me to get the "inside info" even though I can't be there.

Thanks for doing this for us!

[NewsCopy]

UL men's basketball coach Robert Lee expected to get production this season from his young players. Just not so much so soon. "I knew those guys would blossom," Lee said. "I didn't know the timetable. Those guys have a lot of ability. "I'm not surprised they're having some success." Their success has been contagious and a major reason why the Ragin' Cajuns (7-7 overall, 4-0 Sun Belt Conference) have won four straight games and sit atop the SBC West Division coming into tonight's game at Arkansas-Little Rock (10-4, 2-1). They are 4-0 in conference play for the first time since the 1999-2000 season. The rest of the story Joshua Parrott jparrott@theadvertiser.com

[NewsCopy]

Having finished up a four-game road swing, the UALR men's basketball team returns to the Jack Stephens Center on Thursday night to take on Sun Belt Conference West Division-leader Louisiana-Lafayette (7-7, 4-0) at 7:35 p.m. UALR is 10-4 overall and 2-1 in the Sun Belt after Saturday's 77-62 loss to Arkansas State in Jonesboro. Winners of four straight, the Ragin' Cajuns (7-7 overall, 4-0 in the SBC) visit Little Rock as one of the hottest teams in the Sun Belt, following up a 1-6 start to the season by winning six of their last seven games. Louisiana-La. is one of only two remaining undefeated teams in conference play, along with South Alabama (12-3, 4-0). "They are a team where, out of the 12 guys in their rotation, 10 of them are freshmen and sophomores," UALR coach Steve Shields said. "That kind of explains the start they had and their play of late. I think they are playing with a lot more confidence than they were early in the season, as most young teams do at this time of year." ... Defensively, the Ragin' Cajuns are holding Sun Belt opponents to a .399 shooting percentage and just 59.8 points per game. The rest of the story ArkansasSports360.com

[NewsCopy]

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The road woes continue for the UL men's basketball team. The Ragin' Cajuns blew an 11-point lead in the first half and committed 21 turnovers as their four-game winning streak ended Thursday night with a 74-63 loss to Arkansas-Little Rock at the Jack Stephens Center. UL (7-8 overall, 4-1 SBC) had won six of its previous seven games - including three straight in conference at the Cajundome. The Cajuns fell to 3-6 away from home this season, but remain a half-game ahead of UALR (11-4, 3-1) in the SBC West Division standings. Freshman Chris Gradnigo and sophomore La'Ryan Gary led UL with 11 points apiece. Gary added six rebounds. Sophomore Elijah Millsap chipped in 10 points. The rest of the story

[NewsCopy]

Thursday night, Louisiana squandered an 11-point first-half lead, while UALR forced 21 turnovers as the Trojans snapped the Ragin’ Cajuns’ four-game winning streak, 74-63, at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock... Leading 31-20 with 3:48 remaining the first half, the Trojans went on a 13-0 run to close the first half and finished with a 20-2 run. That stretch seemed to bury the Cajuns which had made huge momentum-changing runs in the second half in their previous two Sun Belt contests... For just the second time this season, Louisiana’s reserves were out-scored by the opponent. UALR’s bench out-scored Louisiana’s 25-17 to help preserve the victory... While Louisiana enters Saturday’s contest after suffering its first SBC loss of the season, North Texas has won two straight Sun Belt games after starting its league slate 0-2... Louisiana will have revenge on its mind as the Ragin’ Cajuns lost all three meetings with the Mean Green last season, including two at The Super Pit. In the first meeting with Louisiana trailing 73-72 in overtime, David Dees hit an apparent game-winning half-court shot to lift the Cajuns to victory. However, upon further review, the shot was waved off after a replay showed the ball leaving Dees’ hand after the buzzer sounded... One month later in the regular season finale, the Cajuns were one shot away from pulling out a victory in front of the CAJUNDOME crowd, but Louisiana fell to North Texas once again, 72-70... Then, in the first round of the SBC Championship, the Cajuns made a return trip to Denton where the third time wasn’t the charm for Louisiana. North Texas held as much as a 19-point lead, eventually holding on for the 93-78 win, eliminating the Cajuns. The Mean Green would go on to win the SBC Championship and earn the league’s NCAA Tournament automatic bid. North Texas Preview. After two surprising losses to open its Sun Belt Conference slate, the North Texas Mean Green has won its last two games, including a 74-63 win over Arkansas State Thursday in a rematch of last season’s SBC Championship game... Junior Collin Dennis blistered the A-State Indians for a career-high 30 points, the most by a UNT player since Chris Davis’ 30 on Feb. 8, 2003, to help the Mean Green to an 11-point triumph... North Texas led wire-to-wire in the game, never trailing the Indians. The game started with a defensive stalemate, but a quick 13-2 run by North Texas with six minutes left in the first half led to a 32-17 lead... A-State closed the half with a 7-0 run to make it 32-24 at the break. The second half started like the first with a Mean Green run of 18-8 to extend its lead to 50-32. After the North Texas game Louisiana returns home for its final non-conference game of the season when the Ragin’ Cajuns welcome the Utah Valley State Wolverines to the CAJUNDOME Tuesday night. It will also serve as a reunion for UL senior center Abray Milson, who spent his freshman season at UVSC during the 2003-04 season. A Win by Louisiana would improve the Ragin’ Cajuns’ record to 5-1 in league play, keeping them atop the Western Division standings while moving them back to .500 overall. A Loss by Louisiana would drop the Cajuns to 4-2 in the Sun Belt West Division and extend Louisiana’s league streak to two losses. First-Half Meltdown. Nearly 17 minutes into the first half Thursday night at UALR, Louisiana opened up the Sun Belt contest with an 11-point lead, 31-20, and appeared to be well on its way to its fifth straight win in league play. However, the Trojans made a furious rally, rattling off 13 straight points, as the Cajuns committed five turnovers down the stretch. UALR entered the break with a 33-31 lead - its first lead of the first half... Thursday’s 11-point lead was the second-largest lead Louisiana has blown this season. Last month, the Cajuns blew a 15-point lead to East Tennessee State at the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic. UL would eventually tie the game late to force overtime, ultimately winning 82-80. RaginCajuns.com