For the past four seasons when the phrase LSU women’s basketball was uttered, the name Seimone Augustus was sure to soon follow. Three All-American selections and two Naismith Awards later, the Lady Tigers are busy preparing for life after the most decorated player in school history. The obvious question surrounding this preseason is who will fill the scoring void left by Augustus, and the likely choice will be junior Sylvia Fowles, who averaged just under 16 points per game this past season. Fowles said she is ready for the challenge. “It’s a big role and certainly big shoes to fill,” she said. “You just have to come in and lead by example.” The issue, however, does not depend on whether Fowles is capable of becoming a leader but in whether the rest of the team is capable of keeping two and three defenders off her. Aside from Fowles, the Lady Tigers have no one on their roster who averaged more than 7 points a game this past season. With a lack of a legitimate second scorer, teams will be able to clog the middle of the lane to more easily defend Fowles. LSU coach Pokey Chatman said juniors Ashley Thomas and Quianna Chaney and McDonald’s All-American freshman Allison Hightower are expected to fill part of the offensive void left by Augustus. Chatman said she is relying heavily on Thomas. “She’s really worked on her offensive game,” Chatman said. “I think that that’s something people won’t be counting on initially.” One issue working against the Lady Tigers is a difficult early-season schedule. With names like Baylor University, Ohio State University and Michigan State University as some of the first opponents, LSU players will be put to the test early. Chatman said the difficulty of the early schedule will be a measuring stick before Southeastern Conference play begins. “You don’t want to have a false sense of security going into conference undefeated,” she said. “It may result in one or two more losses, but you’ll know more about your team.” Another problem of significance for the Lady Tigers will be keeping Fowles out of foul trouble. In 10 games last season, Fowles committed 3 or more fouls in a game, limiting her playing time. Combining the problem for LSU is the graduation of defensive specialist Scholanda Hoston. Hoston was the team’s best perimeter defender this past season, and teams will be able to penetrate without her, placing Fowles more susceptible to committing fouls. Chatman said there has to be more of an emphasis on team defense this season with the loss of Hoston. “She [Hoston] would not have experienced the success she had if we would not have played good team defense,” Chatman said. “The key is that they’re only as good as their other four teammates will make them.” The final issue for the Lady Tigers will come from the free-throw line. Augustus, Hoston and Florence Williams averaged 78 percent from the line. The returning Lady Tigers shot at only 64 percent. With points possibly being at a premium, LSU will need all of the scoring help it can get. Although LSU’s women’s basketball team is still a top-15 team and will still compete for the SEC Championship, replacing the best player in the history of the school without suffering any setbacks will be a nearly impossible task.
—–Contact Casey Gisclair at [email protected]