TigerBait.com - Thrilling year

October 31, 2009

Bryan Lazare
TigerBait.com Senior Writer

Alex Farrer set foot on the LSU campus for his freshman year just prior to the arrival of Hurricane Katrina.

Since August of 2005, Farrer has witnessed a number of occurrences in the Tigers basketball program. There were a Final Four appearance, a coaching dismissal and a second Southeastern Conference championship.

Now, a fifth-year senior, Farrer is finally getting his first real opportunity to be a major contributor to the LSU basketball program. Farrer will be one of the starting wing players when the Tigers take on South Alabama in Mobile in a scrimmage Sunday.

Farrer has the very challenging task of replacing SEC Player of the Year Marcus Thornton. Obviously, Farrer will not be expected to be a 20-point per game scorer like Thornton. But, Farrer is certainly excited for his senior campaign to begin.

"(Being able to start) is definitely a thrill for me," Farrer said. "I'm excited. I have an optimistic view. I need to step up and hit a lot of shots this year."

Farrer is quick to point out that this season will not be his first chance at starting. Over the final 15 games of the 2007-08 season, Farrer made 14 starts. During that stretch, Farrer averaged slightly more than four points per game.

In Trent Johnson's first season as LSU coach a year ago, Farrer returned to his reserve status. He averaged just seven minutes while seeing action in 32 games. Johnson constantly says that his expectations for Farrer than his own.

"Coach Johnson is just trying to motivate me when he says that," Farrer said. "There's nothing to read into what he's saying. I'm confident in myself. Needing confidence is not a key for me anymore."

In Wednesday's intrasquad scrimmage, Farrer scored nine points while playing all 35 minutes. All of Farrer's points came on 3-pointers. He was 3-of-8 from behind the 3-point line. Farrer, who missed four two-point shots, had five rebounds and two steals.

Farrer and true freshman Aaron Dotson are working at one wing position. Dotson also struggled with his shooting in Wednesday's scrimmage. Dotson was 1-of-7 from the field in 33 minutes.

Tasmin Mitchell, another fifth-year senior, and Bo Spencer are the only two players who logged significant time last season. But, Farrer says that experience can be overrated.

"The word experience is overused," Farrer said. "We have all played basketball our whole life. It's just on a bigger stage now. We have all played basketball our whole life.

"I think all of the younger players are making progress. What I like is their willingness to learn and not doing their own thing. When you're a freshman, you're not the 'man' anymore. You have to take on a smaller role."

LSU is predicted to finish fourth in the SEC West. Farrer believes the Tigers can surprise a lot of people this season.

"Getting picked fourth in the West may be good luck," Farrer said. "That's where we were picked last year. The SEC is a lot stronger than last year. The important thing for us is to be consistent on the defensive end. If we're going to win, we have to play defense.

"This is going to be a new experience. We have a new group of guys. There are some unique circumstances with the guys we have coming back and the guys we have coming in. I just want to end my career on a high note."

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