When senior forward Sheila Boykin stepped onto the court for her last home game, she couldn’t stop the flood of memories from her unexpected and difficult journey through her LSU career.  
When Boykin committed to Nikki Caldwell and UCLA at the end of her junior year at Long Beach Polytechnic High School six years ago, she thought  she’d be wearing her hometown colors of sky blue and gold.
But Boykin’s dreams were shattered when Caldwell took the job at LSU, forcing her to either stay at home at UCLA or follow Caldwell to Baton Rouge.
“It was a hard decision of do I stay with the girls that I know and get to know new coaches?” Boykin said. “Or do I just go with coaches that I have a really good foundation with and just get to know new teammates? I think getting to know the new teammates was easier.” 
Part of Boykin’s decision to come to LSU stemmed from Caldwell’s staff’s connection to legendary Tennessee coach Pat Summitt. Caldwell won a national championship as a player and two championships as an assistant under Summitt.  Assistant coach Tasha Butts played under Caldwell and Summitt.
Although Caldwell’s connection to Summitt was crucial for Boykin, the pair’s personalities clicked from day one. Their respect for each other has only grown through the adversity Boykin faced during her collegiate career. 
“Each year, your relationship with your players gets better and better,” Caldwell said. “It’s just like in any relationship. It just continues to grow. Sheila is someone that I have a tremendous amount of respect for because of her fight and who she is as a person.” 
Boykin started her LSU career in the 2011 season, playing only seven minutes off the bench and tallying 1.7 points and 1.9 boards per game. 
In her sophomore season, Boykin played 13.4 minutes per game and averaged 2.3 rebounds per game before her life changed. 
In February 2013, Boykin was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, an illness where the body’s immune system attacks its nervous system. Boykin missed the Lady Tigers’ last nine games of the season. 
Boykin couldn’t walk, but Caldwell’s support made her diagnosis and treatment easier to bear.   
“[Caldwell] checked on me at least once a week and made sure I was good,” Boykin said. “She made herself available if I ever wanted to sit down and talk to her about anything. That’s how the how staff is, especially Tasha Butts. She also let me know what resources were available to me, as well.” 
In her junior year, Boykin returned to the court and played in all of LSU’s 34 games, starting in 13. She averaged 1.6 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. 
As Caldwell’s first four-year senior at LSU, Boykin set a high standard for the rise in offensive production in her final season. Boykin has started 21 of the Lady Tigers’ 28 games, averaging 6.4 boards and 6.4 points per game. The Los Angeles native is second on the team with 42 assists. 
The basis of Boykin’s dramatic improvement was the effort she made on both ends of the floor that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, sophomore guard Raigyne Moncrief said. 
“I know just by watching Sheila things that we can learn,” Moncrief said. “Not everything shows up in the stat book. It’s what you do for the team that doesn’t really show. She’s just a great player.”  
Boykin and Caldwell have grown together in the last four years. On the court, they have led LSU back into national prominence with two-straight Sweet 16 berths and recorded 82 wins. Off the court, Caldwell and Boykin have created a friendship that will last a lifetime. 
“Sheila and I have an understanding,” Caldwell said. “I don’t have to say a lot to Boykin. She gets me, and I get her … To this day, Boykin is not a 100 percent, and she may never be 100 percent, but what I know is that this kid has done is she’s given me a 100 percent of what she does have. I will forever be a fan of Sheila Boykin.”
You can reach Morgan Prewitt on Twitter @kmprewitt_TDR.