proved to be the most disappointing of his LSU career. It was during these years that the "Master Motivator" label backfired on him. By the end of the 1992 season, Brown was known as a coach who could get the most out of his least talented teams, but did not get the best results with NBA caliber talent. Chris Jackson, Stanley Roberts and Vernel Singleton came to LSU in 1988–1989 (Roberts was not eligible to play that season.) Shaquille O'Neal and Maurice Williamson (son of former NBA and ABA star John Williamson) came in 1989–1990. Jamie Brandon committed to LSU in 1991–1992. Future NBA first-round choice Geert Hammink was Shaq's backup at center before becoming an all-conference player in 1993. Of these recruits, Jackson, Roberts, O'Neal and Brandon were McDonald's All Americans. Jackson, a sophomore, and freshmen Roberts and O'Neal only played one year together. Jackson, who later converted to Islam and changed his name to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, was the first of these recruits to become a star. He exploded on the scene to become an All-American in his freshman year. He was the leading scorer in the nation and still holds the record for a freshman, averaging 30.2 points a game. Jackson and fifth-year senior Blanton led LSU to a 20-win season in 1989. The Tigers, however lost in the first round of the 1989 NCAA tournament to UTEP, led by future NBA star Tim Hardaway. In terms of player talent, the 1989–1990 team was the best Brown ever assembled. The roster included four future first-round NBA picks (Jackson, Roberts, O'Neal and Hammink), and two of them (Jackson and O'Neal) were current or future All-Americans. The team started the season ranked #2, but failed to meet those expectations by the end of the season. Jackson was named All-American for the second year in a row, and the Tigers finished a respectable 23–9. They had some big wins against UNLV 107–105, Texas 124–113, Loyola Marymount 148–141, Kentucky 94–81, and Notre Dame 87–64. However, UNLV went on to win the national championship, and Texas and Loyola Marymount each appeared in the Elite Eight. LSU lost in the second round of the 1990 NCAA tournament to Georgia Tech; 94–91. Tech, led by future NBA players Kenny Anderson, Dennis Scott, Malcolm Mackey and Brian Oliver, went on to the Final Four. After the season, Jackson went on to the NBA and Roberts left