There’s officially another “Pokey” on the 2006-2007 LSU women’s basketball team.
Coach Pokey Chatman announced April 12 that Porsha Phillips, a 6-foot-2-inch forward nicknamed “Pokey” as a child, signed a national letter of intent to play for the Lady Tigers.
The Blue Star Girls Report ranks Phillips, a Stone Mountain, Ga., native who attended Redan High School, as the eighth overall recruit in the country, while Roundball Journal listed Phillips as the second-best forward coming out of high school.
The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, USA Today, Parade and McDonald’s have all given Phillips All-American honors this season.
“I’ve watched Porsha since her freshman year develop into the player she is today, and I’m excited about the player she will become here at LSU,” Chatman said. “I expect her to impact our program immediately, given her ability.”
Phillips and fellow recruit Allison Hightower competed in the WBCA and McDonald’s All-Star games in March.
Phillips scored 7 points, grabbed four rebounds and blocked two blocked shots for the East team in the McDonald’s game. Hightower had 9 points and nine rebounds for the West team.
The two were also teammates in the WBCA game held in Boston during the Final Four. Phillips had 7 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots, and Hightower had 5 points and five rebounds. 
“I want to come in and keep the winning tradition going,” Phillips said. “I’m going to be a team player and hope to win championships.”
Phillips averaged 18.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.8 blocked shots this season in high school.
“She’s able to score in the low post with her back to the basket or stretch the defense from the perimeter with her ability to drive or hit the high post jumper,” Chatman said. “Defensively, she changes the game with her aggressive presence, shot blocking and dominance on the boards. Her athleticism and versatility will be perfect for our team.”
 
TEAM USA NETS TOP HONOR
Former LSU guard Seimone Augustus and sophomore center Sylvia Fowles helped the 2006 USA Basketball Women’s Senior National Team win the 2006 Opals World Challenge in Australia on April 12.
Team USA lost its final game 76-65 to Australia but won first place because the United States beat Australia by 20 points April 8.
In the April 8 contest, Fowles dislocated her right shoulder in the third quarter of the game and did not play for the team during the rest the tournament.
 
AUGUSTUS WINS AWARDS
Seimone Augustus won the John R. Wooden trophy award April 8 for the second-straight season.
Augustus also repeated this year as Naismith and Associated Press National Player of the Year and the State Farm Wade Trophy as the top player in the country.
 
Contact Kyle Whitfield at [email protected]