The Lady Tigers are dealing with an abundance of youth this season.
The Lady Tigers have just one senior and only one returner who has been at LSU for three seasons.
Junior guard Shanice Norton has made her place known as a veteran leader with international experience for the young team.
Norton played overseas for the United Kingdom over the summer in the 2017 FIBA Under-20 European B Division Championships in Eilat, Israel.
“I had not been home since I came to college so it was good to go back before the competition,” Norton said. “The style of competition was different than the style we play. It was important to take back what I have learned here.”
Norton played all seven games for the United Kingdom in the tournament and helped contribute to two wins and an eighth place finish for the United Kingdom.
Norton averaged 7.6 points, 4 rebounds and 1.4 assists during the competition. Norton finished 13th in points and 11th in rebounds out of all of the guards in the 12 team competition.
Norton put up 13 points against the host nation in the group stage. In her career for the United Kingdom, including 2012 and 2013 under-16 European competitions, Norton averaged 7.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists.
“There were a lot of expectations for me playing on the national team, since I have already been here for a couple of years,” Norton said. “It kind of forced me to be more open and be a leader. That is something I have to use here. Playing for the national team showed me how important is to be vocal, since people will listen.”
Having a member of the international team has been a source of pride for the Lady Tigers.
LSU even sent out a press release congratulating Norton for her role in the United Kingdom’s success in the tournament.
“It was a great experience for her to play and get that international experience,” said coach Nikki Fargas. “We are going to definitely look to tap into that.”
Norton’s first season as a freshman was unorthodox. LSU lost three players that were supposed to start within the Lady Tigers first three games.
Norton was forced to play more than she had expected to that season, but handled it strongly.
Norton started 22 games for the Lady Tigers’ in her freshman season and scored double figures in six games.
“We faced a lot of injuries as a team, so as a freshman I certainly played more than I expected,” she said. “It was a good eye opener. It gave me a lot of experience to prepare me for last season and this season.”
Since her freshman year, Norton has taken a bit of a reduced role for the Lady Tigers.
She started the first seven games for LSU her sophomore year and played in each game, but had a reduced 4.1 points.
Norton has played in both games this season, but has just two points. The Lady Tigers plan on getting her more involved.
“We are going to look to find her some more minutes,” Fargas said. “We feel that she can help us on the defensive end, she is a great athlete when rebounding the ball. She can be an effective offensive weapon for us.
While the minutes have gone down, Norton has found other ways to help the team.
As one of the veterans on the team, Norton is vocal in practice. Her teammates often joke about that.
“It is hard to believe I have been here so long,” Norton said. “My teammates keep reminding me that I have been here a while now.”
