With the conclusion of the LSU women’s basketball team’s season and the emotions of its roller coaster year flatlining, the Lady Tigers are looking toward the future.
The Lady Tigers could lose three starters next season due to the NCAA’s eligibility rules, with seniors DaShawn Harden, Sheila Boykin and possibly Anne Pedersen, who is an academic senior, moving on to the next step of their lives.
Assuming Pedersen chooses to forgo her final year of eligibility, which is unclear at the moment according to LSU coach Nikki Caldwell, the Lady Tigers will lose three players who each averaged more than 24 minutes per game and accounted for 22.4 of the team’s 63 points per contest.
Prior to the NCAA Tournament, Caldwell said her players should take moving on one step at a time.
“For any of our student athletes who are wanting to go overseas or play in the WNBA, don’t fast forward the process,” Caldwell said. “When you are planning for your future you need to take care of the present, and they will have that opportunity.”
Besides being the leader in total rebounds for the Lady Tigers, Boykin was the first four-year senior Caldwell has had in her program since taking the reins at LSU in 2011. Born in California, Boykin was recruited by Caldwell when she was the head coach at UCLA. After Caldwell made the transition to the helm at LSU, Boykin followed.
She is considered a vocal leader in the locker room by her teammates, but she also leads by example. After returning from her diagnosis of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a disorder that strikes the body’s peripheral nervous system, and missing the end of her sophomore season, Boykin has demonstrated her ability to overcome setbacks and continue playing.
She said she plans to play overseas after completing courses next fall and would like to get into coaching or sports broadcasting. Though it will be difficult, she is ready for the transition and is not willing to let her aspirations of playing professionally die.
“It’s not easy for anybody leaving home, especially maybe in another country, but it will be pretty good,” Boykin said. “My mom is like ‘Well, if you figure out where you want to play just let me know. I’ll go over there with you sometimes.’ So she is ready for it. Harden wants to play professionally in the WNBA, so we’re not letting that basketball dream go away at all.”
Harden has similar goals for herself when it comes to life after college and plans to take her talents to the professional level, whether it be overseas or in the United States. She led the Lady Tigers in scoring throughout much of the season until the return of First Team All-Southeastern Conference junior guard Danielle Ballard.
Harden said she will seize the moment when it comes to her career, and she has been aiming for the opportunity to play professionally since she was little. She also believes the road she plans to travel will be one filled with eye-opening transitions.
“I’ve been hearing the opportunity is there, so why not?” Harden said. “Of course you always dream big when you’re little, regardless if it’s really going to happen or not. Now that it’s more of a reality, it’s more scary than exciting. Now it’s like you’re in school, so it’s not that much pressure. But [when you go pro] you’re trying to make money. You’re trying to provide for yourself, and it becomes a real job.”
You can reach Stanton Vignes on Twitter at @StanVignes_TDR