The LSU women’s basketball team averaged 68.5 points per game during the 2009-10 season.
Almost 38 percent of those points came from one player — former guard Allison Hightower.
Hightower is now training with the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA — a 24-hour drive from Baton Rouge, where she put her stamp on the Lady Tigers program.
“Replacing this woman here is going to be one of greatest challenges that we’ve ever faced as a coaching staff,” said LSU coach Van Chancellor of Hightower.
But Chancellor said making up the missing scoring from the All-Southeastern Conference guard is the least of his worries.
“I have more candidates to replace her scoring than I do for all of her other things,” Chancellor said. “We’re going to have to have somebody step up.”
The list of possible successors begins with rising junior forward LaSondra Barrett and rising senior guard Katherine Graham.
Barrett recorded the most rebounds on the team 15 times last season and led the Lady Tigers in points for five games.
“We’re returning a heck of a player in LaSondra Barrett, who can score,” Chancellor said.
The Jackson, Miss., native’s 12.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game will be relied on without Hightower.
“My role is just to be a leader by example and be one of the best players on the team,” Barrett said. “I need to focus on working and continue what she did.”
Graham caught fire toward the end of last season, scoring in double-figures in four of the team’s last seven games.
“Every player has to step up how hard they worked and just continue to follow what Allison laid down as the foundation,” Graham said. “I’ll have to chip in a little more.”
Graham’s potential was seen in 20-plus performances against South Carolina and Ole Miss, including a triple-double against the Rebels.
Barrett said plenty of other Lady Tigers will get the chance to increase their roles in 2010-11.
“Because Allison was such a great player, there’s a lot of people that you haven’t seen their absolute best,” Barrett said. “If we get that this year, we’ll be pretty dangerous.”
Rising junior forward Courtney Jones’ minutes increased as last season progressed.
Jones played at least 20 minutes in LSU’s final nine games. Her memorable outing came Feb. 25 when she rocked Arkansas for 22 points, shooting 8-for-9 in field goals and 4-for-4 from beyond the arc.
“She can shoot the three pretty much as good as any guard we have,” Barrett said. “It’s something she’s working on in the offseason.”
The LSU offense will be run by either rising junior point guard Destini Hughes or rising senior point guard Latear Eason.
“Destini’s going to work hard at everything she does.” Barrett said. “[Eason] knows the system. It’s just that her injuries hindered her a lot last year.”
Rising sophomore guard Adrienne Webb, a shot-making specialist, will be a year removed from her freshman campaign. Webb was a role player with 4.7 points per game but racked up 17 points against Houston.
Post players Jasmine Nelson and Taylor Turnbow have contributed mostly on the boards. They will get the chance to add more points in Hightower’s absence.
Senior guard Andrea Kelly will return from offseason knee surgery after receiving a medical redshirt for the 2009-10 season with a stress fracture in her foot and could provide a spark off the bench.
But both Barrett and Graham said it’s going to take the team coming together to replace a player like Hightower.
“It’s really a collective effort on the team’s part to work hard, and everybody has to be accountable for themselves,” Barrett said. “Everybody will help out. Everybody’s got to.”
Hightower said she is confident in how her team will fare without her skills on and off the court.
“They’ll be fine,” Hightower said. “This team has so much potential. They just need to continue to work hard every day.”
Contact Michael Lambert at [email protected]