By Chris Macaluso
LSU Sports Information
(1/28/01)
Marie Ferdinand came to LSU in 1997 from Miami, Fla. to play basketball for Sue Gunter. April Brown came from Gulfport, Miss. and Angelia Crockett came from Tallulah, La. for the same reason. None of the three had any idea that four years later they would be the backbone of what could become the most successful stretch of Gunter’s legendary career.
Ferdinand, Crockett and Brown helped lead the Lady Tigers to the Final Four of the Women’s NIT as freshmen in 1997-98. They helped lead LSU to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in school history in 1998-99. Last season, Ferdinand made the All-SEC team while the Lady Tigers advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
A trip to the Sweet 16 or better this season would mark the first time an LSU team has advanced that far in three consecutive seasons and firmly cement the Lady Tigers as one of the women’s basketball’s elite programs.
Ferdinand said that’s not enough for her and her teammates.
“We are shooting for the top,” she said. “We are capable of playing with every team in the country if we score and play defense. How far we want to go is up to us.”
How far the Lady Tigers want to go is no secret. According to Ferdinand, the goal is to play in LSU’s first Final Four.
Gunter said she firmly believes this year’s trio of starting seniors, with Crockett at the point, Ferdinand at shooting guard and Brown at forward, has the ability to accomplish that goal.
“Prior to these three, we had some superstars and we could score, but we couldn’t win a lot,” Gunter said. “Everything that started when these three came in was team oriented. They’ve been a part of something special.”
All three had the opportunity to display how “special” they were in their first season. Brown stunned both coaches and fans by scoring 20 points against Houston in her first ever collegiate game. She played in 28 of LSU’s 31 games that year starting eight from the power forward spot, helping the Lady Tigers to an upset win over then 10th-ranked Vanderbilt with a career-best 10 rebounds.
Her outstanding play as a freshman earned Brown a permanent starting role her sophomore year as she helped lead the Lady Tigers to a big win over Notre Dame in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and perhaps LSU’s biggest ever win, over then No.1-ranked Tennessee.
Brown’s talents were displayed to a national television audience last season as she led the Lady Tigers with 23 points in a heartbreaking loss to Connecticut in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
She is one of LSU’s leading scorers again this season, averaging 11 points per game despite ailing knees which have caused her to miss two games and four starts.
“April is one of the most gifted players I’ve ever been around,” Gunter said. “Its amazing how well she knows the game. She’s extremely smart. She doesn’t have great speed but she’s good enough to stop the best players in the country on defense.”
Brown’s freshman teammates progressed a little slower. Crockett played a back-up role to All-American Latasha Dorsey at point guard, starting just three games. Ferdinand did not start a game her freshman year as she worked a high school knee injury back to health.
But it wasn’t long before both were mainstay’s in LSU’s starting five. Crockett started 27 games last season as LSU’s only true point guard while sophomore Kisha James sat out the year with a torn knee ligament. Crockett averaged just 3.5 points per game last season and is averaging just 2.8 this year, but Gunter said her value to the team is not measured on the stat sheet.
“Angie is as good on defense as anyone else in the league,” she said. “She has taken on some of the best players in the country and flat shut them down.”
Ferdinand has played outstanding on the defensive end as well, Gunter said. But with her average of more than 20 points per game this season, it’s her offensive numbers that have grabbed the most attention.
Her sophomore season, Ferdinand permanently moved into the starting line-up, averaging 12.7 points in 30 games. Her 17.5 points per game last season earned her first team All-Southeastern Conference honors and made her a pre-season All-American candidate this season.
A humble Ferdinand said the recognition for individual accomplishments is nice, but she’s working for team victories before personal accolades. She said she’s also working to make sure the younger players on the team understand how hard they have to work to accomplish their goals.
“A lot of us stayed here last summer to take classes and work out and work on our games,” she said. “It’s paid off for us with some big wins and I think we will be more prepared to play this post season.”
Also helping the Lady Tigers prepare for the post-season is a tough 2000-2001 schedule which included non-conference losses against 5th-ranked Duke, 16th-ranked S.W. Missouri St., ninth-ranked Penn State and a non-conference win at then-6th-ranked Purdue.
“We had a couple of early losses against some really good teams,” Crockett said. “But dealing with those losses has made us a more mature team. I’m pleased with the way we’ve responded. We’re a very good team.”
Maintaining that status as “a very good team” is something Gunter hopes for this year’s team as well as future squads. With the leadership and foundation laid by Crockett, Brown and Ferdinand, Gunter said she’s never been more confident the success of Lady Tiger Basketball will continue.
“These are three players you really hate to lose. They are the guts of this team,” Gunter said. “They’ve been a part of something very special. Hopefully, with the example they’ve set, we can carry that through to next season.”