The LSU women’s basketball team surpassed all expectations last season — except for its own — earning a trip to the Sweet 16.
With their sights now set on a trip to the Final Four, the Lady Tigers will rely heavily on a number of new faces, as six names on LSU’s 13-player roster this season have yet to don purple and gold.
Three of these are freshmen guards Raigyne Moncrief, Rina Hill and Jasmine Rhodes, who LSU coach Nikki Caldwell lauded for their potential. 
“That’s added three more players who can actually handle the basketball,” Caldwell said. “We’re now able to get the ball out quicker and be able to do a lot more things off the bounce.”
Senior forward Theresa Plaisance said the trio immediately made an impression on her with how quickly they stepped up.
“What’s impressed me most is their work ethic,” Plaisance said. “They just came in working so hard. We’ve never really had freshmen just step in and play so hard like that.”
Of these three, Moncrief is expected to make the biggest impact. 
The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native impressed during the Lady Tigers’ trip to Spain in August, when she led LSU with a combined 29 points in two convincing victories against Catholic University of Murcia.
“She’s a player that is a coach’s dream in the sense that she’s always going to want to do more and she wants to be better.” Caldwell said. “When you look at Raigyne Moncrief and you look at the potential there, she’s definitely a player that we see that has potential to be one of the best that has played here at LSU.”
LSU veteran players and coaches have made the transition for Moncrief and her fellow freshmen easy by showing patience, Moncrief said. 
Moncrief specifically cited sophomore guard Danielle Ballard as a source of support and inspiration.
“When I get kind of frustrated because I made a mistake, [Ballard] is always there to boost me up,” Moncrief said. “She’s just there for support and to help me out.”
LSU also added new faces in junior transfers forward Ann Jones and guards DaShawn Harden and Akilah Bethel.
Of these three, only Harden is eligible to play this season after transferring from a junior college. 
Caldwell said she anticipates Harden will contribute early with her offensive prowess.
“She’s consistently been our best scoring guard in scrimmage situations,” Caldwell said. “So when we go live, her teammates know ‘find DaShawn.’”
Despite being unable to see the court this season, Bethel and Jones have impressed Caldwell with their will to help the Lady Tigers in any way they can. 
“When you have two young ladies who are all about the team knowing that they can’t set foot in any game, to see how they’ve responded has been very good,” Caldwell said. 

When you look at Raigyne Monrief and you look at the potential there, she’s definitely a player that we see that has potential to be one of the best that has played here at LSU.”