Banks’ time at Southern University arrives

Baton Rouge, LA - A decade ago, when Southern University was looking for a new men’s basketball coach, Roman Banks hoped to prove he was the right man for the job. An assistant to Tommy Green for five seasons, Banks served as interim head coach while SU looked for Green’s replacement. But he didn’t get the full-time gig. That, instead, went to Ben Jobe for the second time.

Banks — whose father (Cleophus Banks), brother (Carlos Sample) and godfather (Bob Love) all played at SU — later conceded he was stung by the snub. “We would tell him: In spite of politics, in spite of all the personal agendas, your time will come at Southern,” Cleophus Banks said. “Just wait and be patient.”

A decade later, Banks finally has the job. But here’s the thing: The Southern job is a whole lot tougher than it was in 2001. The Jaguars are short on firepower. In losing three seniors, they lost 50 percent of last year’s scoring and 36 percent of last year’s rebounds.



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