I caught up with former Rainier Beach standout Aaron Dotson, a freshman at LSU who is in Seattle to play Washington State.

The Tigers and Cougars meet up in Tuesday's Cougar Hardwood Classic at Key Arena. The game tips off at 7 p.m.

Dotson, who scored a season-high 10 points in the Tigers' last game against Rice, has been thrust into a starting role this season and I asked him about the transition from high school to college, his recovery from a cracked patella that ended his senior season -- he said he's between 80 and 90 percent healthy right now -- and the opportunity to play in front of friends and family.

On looking forward to playing Washington State in Seattle:

"I get to play in front of all my family, friends. I haven't been home since August, so it should be a fun experience. And getting to play against Reggie Moore, a former high-school teammate of mine, it should be fun."

On stepping in as a starter:

"It's been good so far. Coming off my injury, it seemed like everything happened so fast, but I had to do what I had to do, push through it. I'm not making any excuses."

On his knee:

"It's getting better. I still need to get my leg stronger, but I think it's healing pretty well."

On his 10-point performance against Rice:

"I hadn't been the aggressor in our previous games before that. I was kind of out there, drifting. In the Rice game I wanted to come out and be the aggressor and play with a lot of energy. I think that was kind of the start, hopefully, of the rest of the season, a good season.

On if he needed a breakout game for his confidence:

"In the previous games I haven't been shooting with confidence. I'm sure you've seen my percentages have been down. It hasn't been something where I couldn't shoot, because in practice I was hitting every shot. I guess when I get in the games I rush my shots. I just wanted to relax, get through that game and get some confidence, make some shots. I think that helped a lot."

On if he's nervous about playing in front of friends and family:

"I could lie and say I'm not going to be, but I'm just going to treat it like a normal game. There will be some butterflies; I have butterflies before every game."

On the season so far:

"We are young. It's been good. The guys are getting to know each other a lot better. We lost a lot last year, but guys like Tasmin (Mitchell) and Bo (Spencer) are starting to learn me and how I am as a player and where I like the ball on the court. We're starting to jell a lot better."

On facing a Pac-10 opponent in Washington State:

"With Washington State being the team with the best record in the Pac-10, this will be a great test for us. Klay Thompson is one of the best scorers in the country, a future NBA player, so it should be good for us."