LSU’s Ben Simmons soars for a dunk. Photo: Des Thureson
Louisiana State University’s basketball team just completed their tour of Australia. Likely number one pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, Melbourne’s own Ben Simmons is beginning his first year at LSU.
The LSU Tigers are one of the bigger college teams in the USA, with Shaquille O’Neal their most famous alumnus.
The Tigers played five games against NBL teams, including two games against Melbourne United in Dandenong and then again at Hisense Arena. The tour was considered a “big benefit” by LSU Senior Associate Kent Lowe.
Had an amazing time in Australia, appreciate all the love and support we had while we were here🇦🇺🙌🏽 #25
— Ben Simmons (@BenSimmons25) August 23, 2015
The NBL and Australian basketball in general was a big beneficiary from the tour. “With stars like Ben Simmons and Dante Exum, they’re not going to play in the NBL because they are too good. I think when you get them playing in exhibition games in Australia, it goes a long way because these are the big names you see on TV,” said SEN America’s college basketball expert Chris Tyler. “The thing that the NBL has a problem with is that basketball fans would struggle to name three or four players in the NBL. The best thing about Ben Simmons is that he has his own brand, and that drew fans who normally wouldn’t come to the game over to watch these NBL teams and increase awareness,” Tyler said.
Ben Simmons highlights from 1st 2 games in Australia @BenSimmons25 pic.twitter.com/rNTGvu0d0c
— Justin (@JustinMag35) August 17, 2015
The NBL has struggled in recent years with crowd numbers and money, but the LSU tour really reflected on how high quality the basketball is in the NBL.
“When Simmons tried to drive into the paint, he found it really difficult to get in there as he had these massive guys blocking his way. And the way he dominated in high school was through his strength in the paint. He had to really adjust to the style of basketball,” Tyler said.
“The athleticism of these guys, particularly Ben Simmons, was really on display and probably better than Melbourne United. But from a pure physicality point of view it reflected really well on the NBL and particularly Melbourne,” Tyler said.
“I think the success of the LSU tour will help recruit college players to come and play in the NBL. Particularly with the show Melbourne United put on at Hisense Arena on Saturday. Firstly it was free, so we have people coming who might not have come down before and the atmosphere was electric because it was essentially a full house. The entertainment pre-game and during the match was exciting, so they knew how to put on a show,” Tyler said.
“The people who enjoyed it the most were the kids, and they are going to tell their parents that they want to go to the basketball and that’s how they draw a crowd. So if we have a terrific atmosphere, we are going to have potential recruits saying ‘I want to play for Melbourne United as there is a strong love for the game there’,” Tyler said.
The success of the LSU tour could push the bigger colleges like Kentucky to come out to Melbourne.
“If LSU have come over and found it a successful trip and drawn big crowds, then there’s a good chance a team like Kentucky would come over as they know there is an audience for them and they know they are going to get a good workout against the NBL teams,” Tyler said.
Sydney’s Isaac Humphries took the world by storm in the FIBA Under 17’s Championships last year, with his 41-point game against Canada making recruiters world-wide take notice.
He signed with the strongest basketball university in Kentucky last week, making him the fourth Australian player joining one of the 10 biggest universities this year.
