Matt Stamey/USA Today Sports, via Reuters
Early in Louisiana State’s basketball season, Coach Will Wade impressed upon his dynamic sophomore guard, Tremont Waters, the importance of ball security by telling him the basketball was like the state of Louisiana.
“If I turn the ball over,” Waters said Friday, “then it’s not good for the state and obviously for our basketball program as a whole.”
Wade, who is suspended indefinitely after being linked to a recruiting scandal, did not accompany the Tigers to their N.C.A.A. tournament games in Jacksonville, Fla. But his advice still resonates for Waters, who ran Louisiana State’s final possession against Maryland on Saturday to perfection, punctuating an intrepid dribble drive with a scoop shot that sent the team to victory.