All eyes will be on sophomore guard Raigyne Moncrief when the LSU’s women’s basketball team steps onto the court for its first exhibition against Loyola-New Orleans at 7 p.m. tonight in the PMAC.
Recovering from a torn ACL that sidelined her for LSU’s last two NCAA Tournament games last season, Moncrief is looking forward to playing after months of rehab.
LSU coach Nikki Caldwell made it clear Moncrief is fully recovered and will not have any restrictions on her minutes against Loyola.
“She’s shown that she is getting her timing and her rhythm back,” Caldwell said. “She’s shown she’s not afraid. Once you have a major injury, sometimes the psyche of that injury can limit you in being fearless again, but through our workouts and through Miki and her team in rehabbing Ray, she’s ready to go.”
Although Moncrief will not be limited by minutes, she said her time on the bench will take on an important role of keeping her legs warm, most likely by riding a bike.
Moncrief is not the only Lady Tiger who is looking forward to getting on the hardwood after a long layoff from basketball.
Junior guard Akilah Bethel looks to make her first appearance in 22 months after transferring from West Virginia after the 2012-13 season, which was cut short by a season-ending injury on Jan. 19, 2013.
Through her year sitting out, Bethel learned to see the game through the coaches’ eyes.
“A lot of times as players and young women, we can be stubborn and be like, ‘No, [the coaches] don’t know,’” Bethel said. “I’ve learned to put full trust in the coaches. They know what they are doing and buy in to their plan.”
Bethel’s focus for her first exhibition as a Lady Tiger is to come out and play hard.
Along with these players making their long-awaited return to the court, LSU will debut its team without the leadership of forwards Theresa Plaisance and Shanece McKinney and guard Jeanne Kenney.
Six new additions to the Lady Tigers’ roster will be eligible to play tonight, and the youth combined with the returners will try to grow into a cohesive unit.
Moncrief, junior guard Danielle Ballard and sophomore guard Rina Hill are charged with replacing Kenney this season.
Caldwell’s message to her young players is simple: “Why wait?”
“We say this all the time: ‘The game does not know your age.’ So why not take this opportunity?” Caldwell said. “We lost a lot when you look at our post-play with Theresa and Shanece and the great leadership of Jeanne. Now, it’s their opportunity. It’s their minutes to take.”
Against the Wolfpack, the Lady Tigers will face an offense led by senior guard Janeicia Neely, who lead the returners with 13.43 points per game.
“Loyola is a very good basketball team with the ability to stretch your defense,” Caldwell said. “This is going to be a good challenge for us. I like scheduling games where you’ve got great teams that can not only shoot the three, but score the ball multiple ways.”