Coach Bass gets commitments from local stars

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LOUISIANA La. - The University of Louisiana's golf program has a tradition of success in keeping local players at home, and many Acadiana products have in turn been successful in their playing careers with the hometown school.

It’s unlikely, though, that the Lafayette high school scene has ever been so deep in senior talent, and the best three players in that group have already told coach Bob Bass that they’ll be carrying Ragin’ Cajun bags for the next few years.

Seniors Morgan Landry of Lafayette High, B.C. Thibeaux of Teurlings Catholic and Michael Smith of St. Thomas More have all verbally committed to Louisiana and will make it official when the NCAA’s early-signing period begins Nov. 12.

“It’s really neat that we’re all going to play together,” said Smith. “We’ve traveled together to the same junior tournaments. There have been a lot of local players that have done really well there, so we’re hoping to carry that on.”

Smith joined what has become a trio of close friends around age 12 when he began playing. The other two were tied together by golf at least five years earlier.

“We’ve known each other since we were about six or seven,” said Landry. “We used to go to a lot of golf camps together, and we became good friends.”

“It’s pretty special,” Thibeaux said. “Since all three of us went to different high schools we’re used to competing with each other. We’re finally all on one team, but we’ll still be competing and pushing each other.”

Casting a lot with the local university was never an issue for Smith and Thibeaux, who never wanted to go anywhere else or play for another school. Landry, though, was the last of the group to commit and was unsure about his college future until last week.

“LSU was my first choice,” he said this week, “but Coach Bass showed a lot of interest in me and my family, and he’s watched us play at Oakbourne all of our lives. I’m really happy with this decision, especially since the guys wanted us all to be playing together.”

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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@lafayette.gannett.com

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LOUISIANA La. — Louisiana’s golf team will have a distinctively local look to its roster beginning next season.

The Ragin’ Cajuns inked three players to national letters of intent Wednesday, the first day of the NCAA’s early signing period, and expects to get a fourth today. Three players in that group are from Lafayette ... and the fourth is the reigning state junior amateur champion.

Head coach Bob Bass got letters from St. Thomas More’s Michael Smith and Teurlings Catholic’s B.C. Thibeaux on Wednesday along with Central Louisiana standout Justin Lowe of Tioga. Lafayette High’s Morgan Landry is expected to join that group at a signing ceremony today.

“It’s really exciting to have all Louisiana guys this year,” said Bass. “Having three players of this caliber from Lafayette is unusual in itself, especially from three different schools, and to add a player of Justin’s capability makes it a very special group.”

The three locals had verbally committed to the Cajun program in September, and the addition of Lowe was an extra bonus, Bass said.

“One big thing is that they’re all winners,” he said. “All of them have won major junior tournaments and have qualified for major national events.

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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@lafayette.gannett.com