Marcus Webb remembers holding his young daughter Adrienne on his knee and watching basketball games when she told him she had a dream.
She wanted to play basketball herself one day.
The WNBA did not exist at the time — league play did not begin until 1997 — but Adrienne and her father started training feverishly.
The sophomore guard stepped into the starting lineup in the LSU women’s basketball team’s season-opening loss at Northwestern on Sunday, and her father remains her biggest fan — but also her biggest critic.
“I coached her AAU summer teams, and we played every day regardless of whether she had practice or not,” he said. “At night it was individual improvement time. That’s how she got where she is now.”
Adrienne Webb started in LSU’s exhibition game against Delta State on Nov. 8, scoring 11 points. She led the team in scoring with 17 points against Northwestern, tying her career high, including 15 in the second half. She also shot 3-of-7 from 3-point range.
That was a bright spot in LSU’s shooting performance, which was abysmal in the first half at 9-of-36 — or 25 percent.
“It didn’t start out that well; I was off,” Webb said. “But I kept getting open, and we kept trying to find the open person and trying to knock down those shots.”
Adrienne’s father said her shooting abilities make her valuable to the LSU offense, but he said her defense needs the most work.
“I tell her this every single day — she used to be an incredible defensive player,” Marcus Webb said. “In high school she was such a prolific scorer that her coach didn’t want to wear her out on the defensive end. … She would always be defending the worst offensive player so she could rest on defense and give her team 20-30 points a game.”
To refine her defense, Marcus Webb always made sure he and Adrienne had a gym to use after school. They would also work on her endurance by doing laps around the court, suicides, squats or weight lifting with the Webbs’ 600 pounds of dumbbells.
As a result, Adrienne’s strength is one of her weapons.
“She’s always been the strongest and fastest and most competitive in that way, even though she’s the shyest,” Marcus Webb said. “That’s just Adrienne. Because they’re playing the transition game this year, up and down the court, you’ll see some of what [former LSU guard] Allison Hightower gave last year, as long as Adrienne can start to play better defense.”
LSU women’s basketball coach Van Chancellor described Adrienne as a “fun-loving person” off the court.
Despite her shy, reserved personality, Chancellor said Adrienne has the potential to be a difference-maker for the Lady Tigers.
“Adrienne Webb has been a heck of a player here,” Chancellor said. “She’s gained confidence in shooting the ball. What she’s done all fall, from day one, she’s been one of our best players.”
 
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Contact Rachel Whittaker at [email protected]