The 2010-11 season was without a doubt a memorable one for the LSU women’s basketball team. Most of the memories weren’t too pleasant, however.
LSU started the season off on the wrong foot, dropping its first two games of the year.
The Lady Tigers rebounded from their 0-2 start, improving their record to 10-4 to cap off the non-conference slate that featured three top-10 teams, including No. 1 Connecticut, No. 7 Ohio State and No. 9 UCLA.
It wouldn’t be the last time LSU would have a run in with UCLA.
Heading into the Southeastern Conference season, the Lady Tigers were searching for a spark.
“The SEC is a whole different season,” said freshman guard Jeanne Kenney. “You could have a terrible preseason and then come out with everybody clicking.”
The conference slate brought another roller coaster of emotion for LSU.
The Lady Tigers trudged through the SEC schedule lacking any sort of streak, going 16 games without winning or losing three consecutive contests.
“When the pressure gets on, we can’t get it done. It isn’t just about this or that. We’re struggling under pressure to get what we want run,” former LSU coach Van Chancellor said after a Feb. 20 loss at Arkansas. “We have our work cut out for us.”
LSU finished the season with a 19-13 overall record, an 8-8 conference record and vying for a spot in the NCAA tournament.
Fifteen SEC teams have posted exactly a .500 record in league since the conference expanded to a 12-game schedule in 1997, and 10 of those teams made the NCAA tournament.
Despite the odds, the Lady Tigers were left out of the tournament for the first time in 13 years, dating back to 1998.
“I never envisioned we’d be faced with a day like today,” Chancellor said after hearing the news.
The rocky 2011 campaign for Chancellor spelled the end of the road for the Hall of Fame coach.
He stepped down as head coach in mid-March and accepted a position in LSU’s athletic administration under the title of “assistant to the athletic director” to finish out his LSU contract.
On April 2, LSU hired former UCLA coach Nikki Caldwell to take the reins as head coach.
Caldwell, who won a national championship as both a player and a coach at Tennessee, compiled a 72-26 record in her three years at UCLA and was named Pacific-10 Coach of the Year in 2010 after a 25-9 season.
“Nikki is one of the best and brightest coaches in the country, and LSU fans will be proud of the way she will represent this program,” Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Joe Alleva said in a news release. “She has all the qualities to bring our program to national prominence.”
Caldwell began her coaching career as an assistant at Virginia in 1999 before returning to her alma mater under legendary Tennessee coach Pat Summitt in 2003.
During her tenure in Knoxville, Caldwell helped the Lady Volunteers reach the Final Four five times, including a pair of national titles.
“I never would have presented LSU to my staff if I didn’t think it would be great for all of us,” Caldwell said. “I want this to be my home.”
 
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Contact Mark Clements at [email protected]