LSU basketball has produced plenty of big WNBA and NBA names like Seimone Augustus, Sylvia Fowles, Marcus Thornton and most notably, Shaquille O’Neal.
What stays under the radar is that each year, the LSU basketball programs produce players who find success in professional international leagues. Six of the nine members of the men’s and women’s basketball class of 2012 currently play in international leagues.
Former LSU forwards Malcolm White and Storm Warren are among those players – White plays in Toyama, Japan for Toyama Grouses and Warren plays in the Netherlands with the Division I league team Den Helder Kings.
After working out in Las Vegas and receiving offers from multiple international teams, Warren and his agent decided the Netherlands was the best move.
Warren said the Netherlands was a better choice than other countries because the majority of people in the Netherlands speak English, and fighting to get around a language barrier could be frustrating.
Warren’s experiences and “glory days” at LSU, including his summer 2011 trip to Italy with the men’s basketball team, guided him on his path to playing overseas.
“The trip we had to Italy gave me a good outlook on what I had to look forward to if I had to come play abroad,” Warren said.
Warren keeps in touch with former teammate White through Skype and Twitter, and he said White has enjoyed Japan so far.
“At the end of the day, we both think it is a blessing to be doing something we love and being able to see the world at the same time,” Warren said.
Four of the five 2012 women’s basketball seniors – Taylor Turnbow, Swayze Black, LaSondra Barrett and Courtney Jones – play basketball overseas. The only 2012 graduate not representing the Lady Tigers internationally is Destini Hughes, who suffered a season-ending right knee injury in January of this year.
Black competes in Finland, Barrett in Israel and Turnbow and Jones play in Portugal.
Jones plays for Alges, which is a team located ten minutes outside of Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Jones hired an agent as well, who created a reel of her highlights at LSU so she would get noticed by professional teams.
A decision to continue to play while her body still allowed it sparked her interest to play overseas. Alges brought her in, watched her practice and decided to sign her.
Jones gives credit to LSU’s basketball program for helping players continue to become better even after their eligibility is up.
“The fact that year after year, players are continuing to go forth with their dreams of playing basketball and have numerous opportunities is amazing,” Jones said. “It shows that the staff really does care about the progress of the women that attend LSU.”
For the past five years, players from the Lady Tigers program have consistently been able to play professionally, according to Jones. Former Lady Tigers Allison Hightower, Quianna Chaney and Katherine Graham have played in international leagues in France, Turkey and Iceland, respectively.
Current LSU junior forward Shanece McKinney noted that before coming into the program, high school players know what LSU basketball is capable of, and that motivates players to work hard.
“You come here and you know what’s expected of you, so you burn and you get better to continue the legacy,” McKinney said. “It’s just instilled in you.”
LSU women’s basketball coach Nikki Caldwell said LSU puts players in the position to be on watch lists, to be drafted and to have networking opportunities to go overseas and compete at a high level. Caldwell wants to keep those options open for players so they can continue to flourish after they leave LSU.
“We’re gonna keep doing that because the real game is not necessarily that game that is played 94 by 50 feet, but it’s the game of life,” Caldwell said. “So anytime we can put them in a position to be successful, we’re gonna do that.”
