REBORNON THE BAYOU NEW ORLEANS' SPIRIT GETS A LIFT FROM LSU'S RUN TO THE FINAL FOUR.

Byline: Ramona Shelburne Staff Writer

Johnny White's Sports Bar and Grill never closed when Hurricane Katrina ripped through New Orleans late last August.

Armored trucks rolled through the city, death and destruction were everywhere. But this small bar in the heart of the French Quarter, stayed true to the sign in the window, `Never Closed.'

It became a refuge amid the chaos, a de facto community center where the city's indefatigable, fun-loving spirit could live on. On Saturday, when the LSU men's basketball team beat Texas to advance to its first Final Four since 1986, the place was packed.

``It was rocking and rolling in here,'' said Kenny Reid III, 50, who lost his home in Hurricane Katrina. ``We've been through hell over here, and with all the problems we've had, with people being moved around, it's been nice to have something upbeat.''

LSU's coaches and players immediately seemed to recognize the importance their success has had on their beleaguered state.

The team returned late Saturday night from their victory to find several thousand fans waiting for them at the Pete Maravich Center. On Monday, Governor Kathleen Blanco and Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden dropped by to praise the team, and thank them for uplifting Louisiana.

Some would say that's a lot of pressure to lay on the shoulders of college kids. But in this case, those shoulders are plenty broad. Seven of the Tigers' 13 players are from Louisiana.

``It gives me another outlook and more to play for than just myself and my team,'' said redshirt freshman forward Tyrus Thomas, who is from Baton Rouge. ``It brings me back and reminds me that I am playing for the state, for the victims of (Hurricane) Katrina and Rita.''

Everywhere the team has gone, Thomas said, people who were dispersed from New Orleans approach the players, thanking them and wishing them luck.

Thomas, sophomore forward Glen ``Big Baby'' Davis and freshman forward Tasmin Mitchell were on campus when many of the hurricane victims from New Orleans were evacuated to temporary shelters and triage units on the LSU campus.

The track became a helicopter landing pad, the basketball gym and multipurpose field-house became evacuation centers.

``It was surreal,'' LSU Associate Athletic Director Herb Vincent said. ``It reminded me of the opening scene from M*A*S*H, where the helicopter lands and people are bringing injured people in all the time.

``Our athletes really responded. It was a situation where it was like `All hands on deck.' FEMA was so slow to respond that the LSU community just pitched in and made it happen.''

Thomas, Davis and Mitchell are roommates. They spent countless hours at the Pete Maravich Center helping out, unloading cots and medical supplies and talking with the hurricane victims.

Davis even found himself holding IV bags for a doctor performing an emergency tracheotomy.

``It really touched me ... as far as my purpose in life to sit there and see a patient sitting there and everything they went through,'' Davis said. ``It really changed my life and gave me a purpose to strive for, something to look for and to help others.''

After the Tigers beat Texas, Davis and his teammates paid homage to New Orleans in their postgame celebration. They danced a traditional Mardi Gras dance, which locals call ``Do What You Want,'' and Davis wore a Mardi Gras boa.

None of the players said they had any family directly affected by Katrina, but everyone knew someone who had been. Katrina may have leveled New Orleans, but the tragedy was far-reaching.

The start of school was delayed by over a week. Many students hosted relatives displaced by Katrina in their dorm rooms.

``After practice, instead of just going home, the football players would walk across the street to the Maravich Center and ask if they could help out,'' Vincent said. ``So many of their own family and friends were affected by it, they really understood the magnitude of it.''

Now, it seems like LSU's athletes are helping the hurricane victims again.

They are among the most popular figures in the state right now. The irrepressible Davis a 6-foot-7, 310-pound sophomore, has become a cult hero.

Reid said he thought ``Big Baby'' should run for mayor of New Orleans.

``They're class guys,'' he said. ``They're laid-back, good old boys. With everything that's happened with the hurricanes, its just been nice to have something positive and upbeat.''

Ramona Shelburne, [phone]

ramona.shelburne(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1 --2 -- color) LSU's Tyrus Thomas has been an instrumental player in the Tigers' run to the Final Four in Indianapolis, and Tigers fans, inset, have used the team as one of the rallying points after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

John Bazemore/Associated Press

(3) Refugees from Hurricane Katrina who were housed at the Red Cross shelter in Baton Rouge, La., were helped by LSU athletes.

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Box:

FINAL FOUR