by Joey Papania
LSUsports.net
There’s an old saying, “All good things must come to and end.” Unfortunately, there is much truth to this saying. On Sunday afternoon, Katrina Hibbert played her final regular season game in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Hibbert originally hails from Melbourne, Australia, where she played Club level basketball. Before moving to Denham Springs, she toured Louisiana with the Victorian Australia All-Stars in 1994-95. In only one season at Denham Springs High School, Hibbert led her team to a perfect 37-0 season and the 5A state title.
Hibbert was an immediate impact for head coach Sue Gunter‘s team. She was the first true freshman to start a season-opener for the Lady Tigers since Keia Howell in 1994. In her debut at LSU, Hibbert started and scored 20 points and added nine rebounds in a win over USL. She went on to play in all 30 games in the 1996-97 season with 12 starts. By season end, she had set a school-record shooting 86 percent (49-57) from the free throw line. She earned Freshman All-SEC and helped guide the Lady Tigers to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
As a sophomore, the Australian native played in and started in all 32 games. She led the Lady Tigers in scoring with a 16.2 points per game average. On Feb. 11, Hibbert would outscore Arkansas’ entire starting lineup hitting a career-high 32 points. She would finish the 1997-98 campaign shooting 86.6 percent (97-112) from the free throw line topping her own school-record set as a freshman. As a sophomore, Hibbert earned First Team All-SEC and First Team All-Louisiana.
By her junior year, Hibbert was already a seasoned veteran. She started all 30 games in 1998-99 and led the Lady Tigers in scoring again averaging 14.5 points per contest. Hibbert moved into 10th place in career scoring totaling 1,241 points. Her game-winning shot with 11.7 seconds left to beat then No.1 Tennessee, 72-69, highlighted an already great season, and an already great career. Hibbert was again awarded with First Team All-SEC and First Team All-Louisiana honors, and received the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
Entering this season, Hibbert has a chance to rank in the top 10 in school history in all but two career categories. With the absence of point guard Kisha James, Hibbert was forced to move to the two guard and also accept some of the responsibility of the point position. The senior started all 27 regular season games this year and is second in scoring averaging 14.7 points per game. The Lady Tigers are headed to the SEC Tournament next week as a No. 3 seed, and could very well end up back in Baton Rouge as a host for this year’s NCAA Tournament.
Joining Hibbert in her final regular season game on Sunday were her family and friends. Her mother was on hand to watch her daughter score 24 points and add eight assists against South Carolina on Sunday. Until Thursday’s game against Florida, Mrs. Hibbert had not seen her daughter play since the state championship game at Denham High.
“I think it will be great having my family there, and all the people who have supported me from Denham Springs through,” said Hibbert. “I think it will be very emotional.”
So exactly what has Katrina Hibbert accomplished at LSU?
Through 27 games this season, Hibbert has moved into:
- seventh in career scoring (1637)
- sixth in career field goals made (618)
- fifth in career field goals attempts (1355)
- third in career three-point field goals made (149)
- third in career three-point field goals attempted (426)
- tenth in career free throws made (252)
- second in career free throw percentage (.821)
- second in career assists (446)
- fourth in career steals (247)
- t-sixth in games played (119)
- seventh in games started (101)
- t-second in post-season games played (9)
Hibbert has an opportunity to add to each of these totals by the end of post-season play. With so many wins, so many records broken, so many people and so many memories, what does the Australian native consider to be the highlight of her career at LSU?
“On the court, the win last year against Tennessee. Off the court, I think the whole experience has been great,” explained Hibbert. “I can’t really pick one thing out. I’ll probably miss the people the most. They’ve been really great and supportive.”
“I feel at home now. I like the food a lot more, and I’m talking more like an American. Being with the coaches and the team, and just having this opportunity has been great,” said Hibbert. “I’ve really enjoyed it and it’s going to be sad to play my final game (at LSU). But the season’s not over yet , hopefully we still have the Final Four.”