by Michael Bonnette
Special to LSUsports.net
Things didn’t look too good for the LSU women’s basketball team a week into the season. After all, a week before the opening the year against Texas Tech starting point guard Kisha James went down with a season-ending knee injury leaving the Lady Tigers without a proven point guard on their roster. As a result, LSU’s performance against Texas Tech was less than spectacular leaving many question marks to be answered for the Lady Tigers if they were to have the type of season that was expected of them.
Since that season-opening contest LSU has indeed found the answers to the many questions that James’ injury left and as a result the Lady Tigers find themselves with a 10-2 mark and ranked No. 16 in the nation heading into January.
Here’s a position-by-position look at the Lady Tigers through the first 12 games of the season:
Point Guard
Without a doubt, the biggest surprise, and perhaps the most valuable performer for LSU through the first 12 games of the season has been junior point guard Angelia Crockett. Crockett missed the first three games of the season with a stress fracture in her left foot. Since entering the starting lineup against Georgia, Crockett has led the Lady Tigers to a 6-1 mark. Crockett’s stats are anything but staggering, but she’s been steady as she has turned the ball over 19 times in 256 minutes of action. Crockett, who was supposed to backup James at the point position this year, is averaging 6.0 assists over the Lady Tigers’ last three games and with a handful of games under her belt as the starting at point guard, Crockett appears to have a handle on the position that was the biggest question mark for LSU on Dec. 1.
Shooting Guard
Last year, Marie Ferdinand took a quantum leap as far as progress is concerned from her freshman to sophomore seasons. It appears that Ferdinand has taken another giant leap this year as the junior from Miami, Fla., has established herself as one of the top scoring threats in the Southeastern Conference. Ferdinand currently ranks third in the SEC with 18.8 points a contest and she’s first in the league with 3.75 steals a game and third in the loop with 6.5 assists a game. Ferdinand has proven to be lethal from 18 feet and in and she’s earned the reputation of having about the quickest first step in the women’s game. Ferdinand gives LSU possibly the best combination of shooting guard/defender in the SEC.
Small Forward
Although she’s listed as a small forward, senior Katrina Hibbert is one player who can actually play every position on the floor. When LSU was without a point guard during the first three games of the year, Hibbert split time with Ferdinand running the team. Hibbert still runs the team, but not from the point guard spot. Hibbert, who ranks as the ninth leading scorer in school history with more than 1,400 points, leads the SEC and ranks third in the nation with 7.4 assists a game. Her 3.75 steals a contest are tied for the SEC lead and she’s averaging 14.4 points a game, also among the top 15 in the league. Although Hibbert’s stats are impressive across the board, the one thing she brings to the table is the unique ability to hit the clutch shot, come up with a key steal or rebound or give the Lady Tigers a big defensive stop when needed. Hibbert is not only LSU’s most valuable player, but she’s a legitimate candidate for SEC Player of the Year. With Hibbert on the floor, the Lady Tigers have one of the premier players in the nation and she’s a player that will have LSU in every in which they play.
Power Forward
Last year, junior April Brown was known around the league as LSU’s defensive stopper as she she usually drew the assignment of stopping the opponent’s top inside scoring threat. While that hasn’t changed this season, Brown has added scoring to her repertoire. Brown ranks third on the team with 11.8 points a contest and she’s second on the squad with 4.8 rebounds a game. Brown has scored in double in nine of LSU’s 12 games, including a career-best of 25 points in the Lady Tigers’ upset win over second-ranked Georgia. For her efforts against Georgia, Brown was named SEC Co-Player of the Week, along with teammate Hibbert.
Center
Perhaps the most athletic center in the league, sophomore DeTrina White is also the smallest at her position in the SEC. At just 5-11, White relies on her quickness and leaping ability to average 11.4 points and 9.0 rebounds a contest. Last year, White led the SEC with 12 double-doubles, but in 12 games this year, she’s registered only three double-doubles. White is among the league leaders at 60.8 percent shooting, however, she’s only attempted 97 shots, a number that is sure to increase as the Lady Tigers
begin SEC play.
The Bench
One area of concern for the Lady Tigers has been the play of the bench. Freshman Ke-Ke Tardy has been the only steady scorer for LSU off the bench as the rookie is averaging 8.8 points a contest. Outside of Tardy, the Lady Tigers are only getting about 10 other points from the bench a game. The LSU bench was bolstered with the arrival of junior college point guard Danielle Traylor in mid-December, however the Lady Tigers received a blow when 6-4 backup center Jamilah Johns went down with sprained knee on Dec. 19. Johns won’t return to action until mid-January leaving a pair of 6-3 freshmen in Kaisha Lymon and Jamie Hawkins to backup White at the center position.
So there you have it a quick look at LSU as they head into January, a month that will see Lady Tigers play four top 25 teams, including a Jan. 6 home date against second-ranked Tennessee.