The trophy room in LSU sophomore forward LaSondra Barrett’s Jackson, Miss., house is getting crowded.Barrett won two-straight Class 5A state championships for William B. Murrah High School, and she was a McDonald’s and EA Sports All-American in 2008. The 6-foot-2-inch forward, nicknamed “Boogie,” made an instant impact for the LSU women’s basketball team her freshman season, finishing second on the team in scoring and claiming 2009 SEC Co-Freshman of the Year honors.But the trophy room may need to be cleared for Barrett’s most prestigious award to date — a gold medal. Barrett made her mark internationally on USA Basketball Women’s U19 Team last summer, claiming the championship after beating Spain, 87-71, in Bangkok, Thailand.”The experience was great,” Barrett said. “You are even more hungry to win since you are representing the United States. Winning a gold medal was the icing on the cake.”The United States fell to Spain in its first game of the preliminary round but gained      revenge in the title match.”Spain beating us was a wake-up call,” Barrett said. “Our backs were against the wall. It was just about bouncing back and playing with our heart.”The United States went on to  beat China, Mali, Canada, Japan, Russia and France en route to the title.”Everyone wanted to beat the USA because we were the best,” Barrett said. “We peaked at about the right time.”Barrett had a breakout game and scored her tournament-high 14 points to help the Unites States defeat Japan. “I wasn’t much of a scorer — it was more defense and rebounding,” Barrett said. “Being a leader, being vocal — that was my role.”Barrett said she enjoyed the experience of playing for her country.”A lot of people talk about it, and you see it on TV, but you never get to experience it,” Barrett said. Barrett said winning the gold medal was more special than her other awards.”It was real gold,” Barrett said. “You get certain medals that are plastic, but it’s actually gold. I smiled the whole way coming home on the plane.”The team featured 12 players 19 years old or younger from various colleges and high schools and was coached by Carol Owens from Northern Illinois University.”On the court, we just had to get used to some things,” Barrett said. “We had to establish our roles. Everybody can shoot. We had to have somebody to pass, somebody to rebound and somebody to be a good defender.”Barrett played with Stanford forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike, Ohio State guard Samantha Prahalis and Arkansas guard C’eira Ricketts, who shared the SEC Co-Freshman of the Year award with Barrett.”Off the court, everything was great,” Barrett said. “We all got along and had a great time.”Barrett said she learned many things to take back to the Lady Tigers.”It showed me how to compete for a national championship,” Barrett said. “With hard work and preparation, anything can happen.”LSU senior guard Allison Hightower noticed a difference in Barrett since her overseas trip.”She is even more confident about her overall offense, overall defense and overall game,” Hightower said. “As long as she continues to work, she’ll be in the same spot she was last year or even better.”LSU coach Van Chancellor said playing for a national team helped Barrett learn about herself.”They learn how good they are,” Chancellor said. “They get on the USA team, and they are playing with all the best players in the country. All of a sudden they realize they’re pretty good.”Chancellor said Barrett had a minor shoulder injury while playing for the United States.”She has had a hard time coming back from that, but she’ll be fine,” Chancellor said.Barrett said she wants to extend her role for LSU after leading the team in rebounding and finishing second in points during her freshman season.”The coaches expect me to be the best defender, best rebounder,” Barrett said. “I just try to do everything the coaches expect from me.”—-Contact Michael Lambert at [email protected]