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Buen Viaje: Will Wade and Skylar Mays talk successful Spain trip and 2019 team

Wade gives updates on injuries, Mays talks new teammates

Like everyone in Baton Rouge, LSU basketball coach Will Wade and senior guard Skylar Mays are entrenched in the 'year of Burrow.' Perhaps Mays put it best when describing the senior quarterback's reputation around the state's capital.

"It's Joe Burrow's world, and we're just living in it," Mays said in Monday's press conference.

From a coaches perspective, Wade, who admittedly knows next to nothing about football, said it's remarkable how the offense has changed so rapidly and is further impressed with the efficiency in which they run the offense.

"How clean they run it is unbelievable," Wade said. "How smoothly they were able to operate the offense against Texas, I mean I think people are way underestimating how hard that is to do. You see him [Burrow] jawing at the Vanderbilt players a little bit, you gotta like that. Your team likes that and it's kind of like Javonte for us."

While LSU fans can certainly expect the same level of emotion from point guard Javonte Smart and the rest of the Tiger basketball team in 2019, Wade said the one thing he's noticed since the team returned from their trip to Spain, is a break in routine.

"It's been a little bit all over the place since we got back from Spain," Wade said. "We need to be in a much better routine as we start practice on Friday and get into our weekly habits. I like our group, we're progressing. It's going to be a challenge, we're a talented group but can we do some of the little things, make some of the toughness plays that we made last year down the stretch."

The trip to Spain was a success for the Tigers as not only did the team go 3-1 on their 10 day stay, defeating European clubs like Barcelona and Valencia, but because it also gave Wade and the coaching staff a closer look at some of the new faces in the program.

Some of those new faces include freshman five-star forward Trendon Watford out of Alabama, freshman guard James Bishop and junior college transfer Charles Manning.

"I thought Charles Manning was phenomenal, Trendon led us in scoring and also Bishop had his moments," Wade said. "I thought we got a lot out of the trip from those guys just understanding where they are and what we need to improve on."

Now that he's a senior, Mays doesn't like to look at himself as the "old  guy" in the room but said he has liked what he's seen from the new players including Watford, Manning and Bishop.

"Charles has definitely gone at me at practice and made it a point to defend me, challenge me," Mays said. "He's made a lot of strides since arriving on campus. Trendon is so versatile, he can pretty much play all five spots which is going to be big for us and he's going to have a great year. I think James will be as solid a freshman as you can expect, especially based off the confidence he gained in Spain." 

The team returns veteran leaders Skylar Mays and Javonte Smart, who figure to be the team's main source of leadership this season along side sophomore forward Emmitt Williams. 

LSU had success last year when Mays and Smart were on the court, most notably when the team beat then No. 3 Tennessee 82-80 at the Maravich Assembly Center in Tremont Waters' absence. The two combined for 52 points in that game, and Mays said their chemistry is only continuing to grow as the offseason has moved along.

"It's been great because both of us have the ability to play off the ball," Mays said. "We can kind of take the pressure off each other as far as making decisions for the team on a play. We have a little bit of experience being on the floor together last year. We're definitely going to build on that but I like where we're at right now."

Wade said Williams has been 'very consistent' and has worked all offseason to improve his shooting while remaining a very dependable rebounder on the floor.

A season ago, Williams was used as an energy guy off the bench that made an impact on the offensive and defensive glass while showing his athleticism on a number of dunks. The offseason for Williams, Wade said, was very detailed and focused on what he needs to improve on after receiving great feedback from NBA clubs.

"He's been very dependable and is working extremely hard," Wade said. "I think his game has taken off because of that and is very aggressive. His jump shot is quite a bit better because he's put some time into it. He's made tremendous progress and I'm excited by what he's done and what he's going to bring to our team this year."

Currently the team is going through "Boot Camp," a series of intense workouts that Wade started when he first arrived to LSU in 2017. There are a few players missing however, including senior Marlon Taylor and freshman Aundre Hyatt, who was on the team last year but was redshirted.

Taylor is close to being fully cleared Wade said, after undergoing offseason foot surgery. The high-flying forward who captivated LSU fans with his emphatic lobs in 2018 is having his wisdom teeth pulled on Tuesday which will delay his return for a 'few days' but should be back in full capacity upon that recovery.

Hyatt's injury is a little more recent and more significant as Wade announced the sharp-shooting freshman would be out until the middle of October at the earliest.

"Hyatt was really coming on, he played two really good games in Spain," Wade said. "He's somebody that if we could get him healthy, he's got the size, he can shoot and he can rebound. He's almost the perfect hybrid guy for us. He can play a guard spot, the four spot. We may not have him ready by the first game but we need to have him ready by Christmas to really be able to play a role and help us."

The team officially starts fall practice on Friday as it prepares to defend its SEC crown after going 16-2 in conference play in 2018.

For Mays, with this being his final season with the purple and gold, he hopes to leave a lasting legacy behind and that only comes with leaving as a winner.

"It's been a joy to represent this university being from Baton Rouge," Mays said. "From being a recruit to now, where I'm hosting kids that are 16, 17 years old so things like that is what I'm really going to remember. It's been a wonderful experience for me and I'm hoping to go out with a bang."