She’s more than a teammate. She’s more than a friend.
She’s been a mentor and a leader to the Lady Tigers for the last five years.
Senior guard Raigyne Louis is the only player in LSU women’s basketball history to combine for 1,651 points, 713 rebounds, 345 assists, and 294 steals.
Still, for Louis and her fellow Lady Tigers, her legacy off the court means as much as on the court at LSU.
“Being here meant that I was a part of something bigger than me,” Louis said. “My teammates and the coaching staff put me in a place to be successful. It has been so much bigger than me. I am just enjoying playing basketball. It is great to leave something here.”
Louis has been a stalwart at guard for LSU over the last five years.
She is ranked ninth in points, 14th in rebounds, 13th in assists and third in steals all-time as a Lady Tiger.
The Lady Tigers have been to the NCAA tournament in three of her four previous seasons, and are on the pace to make it in this season, and went to the Sweet 16 in her freshman season.
Last season, she was selected as the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year, but this year has been the one she will remember most.
“We have beat so many ranked teams this season,” Louis said. “We have beat Georgia, Texas A&M, Tennessee, and that is just at home. I do not think I had done that in my career here.”
Louis is vocal about the reason for her success. It is not her talent or her work ethic that she credits for it. It is her teammates, and more importantly her faith, which she is deeply devoted to.
“It is a big thing,” she said. “I would not be where I am without God. People need to know that. I would not be here without Christ. I overcame two major injuries, but I came back stronger. I had the best season of my life last year, and I am building off of that. You cannot tell me that is anything other than God.”
She entered LSU as a highly touted recruit ranked No. 18 in the nation, and chose to play for LSU over universities such as South Carolina and Oklahoma.
In her first season at LSU, Louis tore her ACL, which prevented her from playing in LSU’s Sweet 16 run her freshman season.
“She was playing some great basketball at the time,” said coach Nikki Fargas. “I cannot tell you how many ice packs and rub downs she has had to have. She does everything she can to make sure she is here for her team.”
Injuries would continue to plague her, however, as she suffered a season-ending knee injury in what would have been her junior year in the 2015-16 season.
The Lady Tigers never recovered from losing her and then-freshman Ayana Mitchell in their first three games and suffered the program’s worst season in 20 years.
“I just tried to be mentally strong,” Louis said. “It taught me a lot of patience and to be grateful to be on the court. I appreciate the game much more now. Going through the rehab was a mental battle and a physical battle. Overcoming it has made me who I am today.”
Mitchell and Louis bonded deeply during their recovery.
“It is not even a friendship anymore, she is like a part of my family,” Mitchell said. “Going through it together and not having to do it alone helped us immensely. We leaned on each other and held each other accountable. We pushed each other to get better no matter what the doctors said. I was going to be strong for her, and she was going to be strong for me.”
While Mitchell and Louis have worked well on the court and are LSU’s second and third leading scorers this season, their relationship off the court has been even stronger.
Mitchell was the only Lady Tiger in Louis’ wedding to former LSU linebacker Lamar Louis over the summer.
The two of them regularly hang out and study together at Mitchell’s apartment.
“There have been a lot of nights where she has been up late, like 3:00 to 4:00 in the morning at my house studying,” Mitchell said. “I am going to sleep and she is still studying. She works hard and she studies hard. She is locked in on it and it is something she holds her hat on for a long time.”
Raigyne is an electrical engineering major and has excelled in the classroom.
Raigyne already has job offers in electrical engineering for when she graduates, if she chooses not to go professional in basketball.
Electrical engineering has become more than a major, but a passion for Raigyne.
While taking a difficult major and competing in the SEC might surprise many people, her teammates have long stopped being surprised by Raigyne.
“Nothing surprises me anymore,” said junior guard Chloe Jackson. “When I first got here and she told me she was an electrical engineering major, and even looking at her GPA, I was like, ‘Wow, that is awesome,’ Even off the court she is a leader for us.”
Raigyne hopes that her position as a standout basketball player at LSU will inspire others to pursue STEM degrees.
“It is tough,” Raigyne said. “The amount of work I put in to basketball is the same as engineering. It is not an easy task.”
Along with her major and basketball, Raigyne has dedicated her time to community service.
“She has done things, that I did not know she was doing,” Fargas said. “She has done community service work that is optional, but she will always show up.”
She has used her engineering skills to work on a machine to help kids with cerebral palsy play basketball.
Raigyne was selected to the SEC Community Service team and nominated for the Senior CLASS award.
“I go around the community and work with kids,” Raigyne said. “I read books to them and try to find a way to give back to them. There are people who would love to be in my shoes and I try to give back to them. It has been a blessing and I try to be a blessing to them.”
She used her off-the-court leadership skills to help her teammates.
She has served as a friend and mentor to LSU’s three freshman guards that have played off the bench this semester.
“She is someone I have looked up to since I was a kid,” said freshman Khayla Pointer. “I knew her even before she came to LSU. The advice she gives me has been a blessing. She tells me to always stay aggressive and keep a positive mindset. When I need advice or someone to cheer me up, she is there for me every time.”
As Raigyne’s career at LSU winds down, she and her teammates are trying to take everything one game at a time entering tournament play to make the most of the time left.
“She has been huge,” Fargas said. “She has been someone who has taken the role of being a leader not just on the court, but also off the court. She has done a nice job, being a great ambassador for the game and LSU. I cannot say enough about her being an engineering major and playing in the SEC. She is somebody that is selfless. I am going to miss her extremely.”

Gallery • 7 Photos

Dilyn Stewart

LSU senior guard Raigyne Louis (11) looks up before shooting the ball during the Tigers' 79-78 win against Alabama on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018, in the PMAC.