LOUISIANA La. – Robert Lee isn’t content at all with a 1-1 record, and he’s setting out to improve his University of Louisiana’s basketball team’s mark in an unorthodox way.

Realizing that one of the Ragin’ Cajuns’ problems lies in depth, he’s holding open tryouts for campus students today in the hopes that he can find help at point guard.

Senior returnee Orien Greene was more than solid (36 points, 13 assists) at the point in UL’s win over La. Tech and its loss to LSU over the weekend in LSU’s Louisiana Classic. But Greene played 38 minutes Sunday in the 83-69 loss to the Tigers and was visibly tired.

“We ask him to do a lot, and maybe it’s a little unfair,” said Lee, who makes his home debut as Cajun coach Saturday against Rice (1:05 p.m., Cajundome). “But that’s the cards we’ve been dealt.”

Lee isn’t happy with his hand of available bodies to back up Greene, and hence today’s tryouts.

“Some of our guys are not serious enough about the task at hand,” Lee said Tuesday. “I’m the one calling the shots here, and if somebody’s not producing on the court or in the classroom we have a problem. Maybe there’s somebody out there in the student body that can play point guard.

“I don’t care if guys are scholarship, non-scholarship. I don’t know what our chances really are, but we’re going to see if we can find someone.”

The Cajuns showed the ability to play seven or eight-deep in Friday’s opener when they raced by the favored Bulldogs 84-63. Five players scored in double figures and that many had five or more rebounds. Six players also hit near or over 50 percent and the squad shot 50.8 percent as a team while forcing 21 turnovers.


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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@lafayette.gannett.com