The Book: 2007-08 Ragin' Cajuns Basketball

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Three weeks ago, UL guard David Dees saw his senior season take a turn for the worst. With the Ragin' Cajuns trailing at halftime of their Sun Belt Conference opener at UL-Monroe, Dees was benched for the second half in favor of freshmen Chris Gradnigo and Travis Bureau. After UL rallied for a thrilling 68-67 win over ULM, his time on the pine continued, despite the fact he was averaging double figures in scoring. The player who led the Cajuns last season in five different categories - including points per game (17.4) - and graced the cover of the team's media guide after earning third-team all-conference honors as a junior was now fighting for court time on one of the youngest NCAA Division I teams. With his season slipping away from him, Dees thought about a lot of things. He had graduated in December, so he could have gone home to Dayton, Ohio, to start the next phase of his life. But quitting was the last thing on his mind. The rest of the story Joshua Parrott jparrott@theadvertiser.com

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Even when he was surrounded by basketball talent in a state known for its hoops hysteria, Courtney Lee found a way to stand out from the crowd. It was supposed to be just another 6 a.m. practice for head coach Larry Bullington at Pike High School, a traditional basketball power in Indianapolis. Looking across the gym, he saw a dozen or so sleepy-eyed players, all of whom dreamed of being the next big star for the Red Devils. Then, from across the gym, he noticed a skinny sophomore with a sweet shooting touch. "I saw him shooting the ball from the baseline, and he hit a 15-footer just so effortlessly," Bullington said. "I asked the guy next to me, 'Who is that?' He said, 'That's Courtney Lee.' "At that moment I knew he was a basketball player." The rest of the story Joshua Parrott jparrott@theadvertiser.com

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The first thing Courtney Lee did when he went into Western Kentucky's locker room at halftime Saturday was apologize to his teammates. Wasn't necessary. All he had to do was do what he did in the second half to UL's basketball team. The host Ragin' Cajuns had held Lee - generally considered the Sun Belt Conference's best pro prospect - to zero points in the game's first 16 minutes and to a sole three-pointer in the first half. But the Hilltopper standout hit a driving basket 13 seconds into the second half, a harbinger of things to come for a Cajun squad that had matched its own high standard for defensive intensity in the first 20 minutes. Before it was over, Lee had 18 second-half points and seven in a row in one key stretch, and Western had escaped the Cajundome with a 69-66 victory. The rest of the story Dan McDonald dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

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Western Kentucky's Courtney Lee showed UL why he's loved so much by NBA scouts. After struggling in the first half Saturday, Lee pumped in 20 of his game-high 23 points in the second half as the Hilltoppers grabbed a 69-66 win and handed the Ragin' Cajuns their third straight Sun Belt Conference loss. "Courtney Lee is a good player," UL coach Robert Lee said. "He showed what he could do in the second half. It was a matter of Courtney Lee just making plays." After leading by as many as six points in the first half, UL trailed 64-52 with 4:32 left. The Cajuns cut it to 67-66 on Travis Bureau's 3-pointer with 1:14 left, but WKU's A.J. Slaughter answered with two free throws to make it a three-point game with 41 seconds left. UL (8-10 overall, 4-3) had the ball with 9.6 seconds left in front of a raucous crowd of 6,190 at the Cajundome looking to force overtime, but WKU's Tyrone Brazelton forced an off-balance shot by Cajun guard Randell Daigle, whose 3 bounced off the right side of the backboard as time expired. The rest of the story Joshua Parrott jparrott@theadvertiser.com

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LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) -- Courtney Lee made 20 of his 23 points in the second half as Western Kentucky broke away to beat Louisiana-Lafayette 69-66 on Saturday. The teams were tied 27-27 at halftime, but Lee was 7-of-17 from the field and 7-of-9 at the free throw line in the second half. Louisiana-Lafayette (8-10, 4-3 Sun Belt) led most of the first half, but only four times in the second -- the last time at 37-36 with 15:16 left. The rest of the story

[Zeebart21]

Before we all get bent up today about last nights loss, lets not forget what Dan said in his article:

In case any of the 6,190 on hand didn't notice, UL played most of that late stretch with two natural freshmen and two sophomores on the floor against an all-upperclassman Hilltopper lineup. No one on the Cajun bench was even around when Western beat the Cajuns in the Sun Belt Tournament semifinals 22 months ago.

These dudes don't want to see us again anytime soon.

Z

[RaisingCajun08]

_ Before we all get bent up today about last nights loss, lets not forget what Dan said in his article:

In case any of the 6,190 on hand didn't notice, UL played most of that late stretch with two natural freshmen and two sophomores on the floor against an all-upperclassman Hilltopper lineup. No one on the Cajun bench was even around when Western beat the Cajuns in the Sun Belt Tournament semifinals 22 months ago.

These dudes don't want to see us again anytime soon.

Z _

I am not a person who thinks moral victories are worth a damn. But I am very impressed with the heart of this team. There never die attitude will take them a long way in the coming years. This team is the definition of team character.

[Zeebart21]

I am not a person who thinks moral victories are worth a damn. But I am very impressed with the heart of this team. There never die attitude will take them a long way in the coming years. This team is the definition of team character.

I told Hammer last night when we got down by 12 that we had one more run left in us... sho' nuff.... Hadn't been in a while. Home games always seem to coincide with me being in Tuscaloosa. Had a great time last night.

Z

[Cajunsmike]

Before we all get bent up today about last nights loss, lets not forget what Dan said in his article:

In case any of the 6,190 on hand didn't notice, UL played most of that late stretch with two natural freshmen and two sophomores on the floor against an all-upperclassman Hilltopper lineup. No one on the Cajun bench was even around when Western beat the Cajuns in the Sun Belt Tournament semifinals 22 months ago.

These dudes don't want to see us again anytime soon.

Z

The two sophomores at the end, (Daigle/Gary) are freshman in my book. I expect them to get the year they sat out back as they continue academic progress. I have said that a lot but I will continue to say it as some may not realize it. I agree that the loss was still disappointing. We need stronger inside play so we don't get killed on the boards like last night.

[Zeebart21]

The two sophomores at the end, (Daigle/Gary) are freshman in my book. I expect them to get the year they sat out back as they continue academic progress. I have said that a lot but I will continue to say it as some may not realize it. I agree that the loss was still disappointing. We need stronger inside play so we don't get killed on the boards like last night.

Inside play is coming Mike. Still a year away, though.