The Lady Tigers are looking to replace what they lost in seniors this season with the help of a talented and diverse group of freshmen.
And this group of high school stars is determined to prove it can play at the next level.
To date, no one has done a better job of this than freshman guard Danielle Ballard.
Ballard has shown consistent improvement in her first five matches, averaging 12.6 points and 5.4 rebounds. She solidified her status as the team’s first bench option.
The Memphis, Tenn., native was heavily recruited out of high school, as ESPN ranked her as the No. 25 high school player in America.
If there were any doubts about Ballard, they were erased in Friday night’s match against then-No. 12 West Virginia, when she dropped 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Lady Tigers in the win.
LSU coach Nikki Caldwell was so impressed with her performance that she said Ballard had “graduated to another level” in a post-game news release.
LSU also added some size this season in freshman center Derreyal Youngblood.
Youngblood dominated in her time at John Curtis High School in River Ridge, La., earning three district Most Valuable Player awards and averaging 15.5 points to lead the Patriots to a Class 2A state championship in her senior season.
Nicknamed “Tank” by teammates, Youngblood garnered a considerable amount of attention since joining LSU, even hearing comparisons to former LSU star and WNBA standout Sylvia Fowles.
But Youngblood knows she has plenty of work ahead of her in order to reach her full potential.
“It’s a big transition,” Youngblood said. “I had to basically grow up and understand that I’m not the star of the team anymore. I have to work towards that goal of making myself better.”
After an injury to her left knee kept her out of action last season, redshirt freshman guard Anne Pedersen is finally seeing her first action for the Lady Tigers.
A product of Copenhagen, Denmark, Pedersen brings a wealth of experience to LSU as a Scandinavian All-Star and four-year member of the Denmark National Team.
She flourished while playing for Denmark, posting 17.5 points per game at the European Championships in her second year with the squad.
Caldwell said Pedersen’s versatility has allowed her to be utilized at multiple positions.
Rounding out the Lady Tigers’ freshman class is Helen Cox High School’s highly touted guard Kuaneshia Baker.
One of the top guard prospects in the country, Baker was named the 2012 Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 25 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.1 blocks and three steals per game in her senior season.
Baker has yet to see any playing time this season.
