11:40 LRN Sportscast January 18

LSU head football coach Brian Kelly continues to fill out his staff with big names with local ties. Kelly announced the hiring of Georgia assistant and New Orleans native Cortez Hankton as the team’s wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator. Hankton served in the same role for the Bulldogs for the past three seasons. Tiger Rag Editor Adam Hunsucker says Kelly’s staff is ready to compete with any in the SEC.

Cut 20 (10) “…national title.”

Tigers’ wide-out Jaray Jenkins will be working with Hankton next season, as he announced he will be returning to LSU for a fifth year. Over the past two campaigns, Jenkins has 57 catches for 899 yards and eight touchdowns.

On the defensive side of the ball, safety Jay Ward will also be back in the purple and gold, according to a report from 247sports. His return is a huge boost for the Tigers’ secondary. Ward collected 71 tackles, two interceptions, and six pass breakups last season.

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Moving to baseball, LSU enters the DI Baseball preseason top-25 ranked eighth in the nation. The Tigers are one of six SEC teams in the top ten. LSU opens its first season under new coach Jay Johnson on February 18 against Maine at Alex Box Stadium.

Kim Mulkey is another LSU coach making waves. The women’s basketball team has moved up to eleventh in the latest AP rankings after wins over Missouri and Vanderbilt. This is the highest LSU has been ranked since the Tigers were number five on December 20, 2009.

And the Pelicans dropped their second straight game on their current three-game road trip, falling to the Boston Celtics, 104-92.

The Pels led by as many as 18 points before their second-half collapse. Coach Willie Green said that there are just some games like this, but he expects his team to bounce back.

Cut 17 (08) “…their physicality.”

New Orleans is back on the court Thursday when they face the New York Knicks.