When LSU women’s basketball coach Nikki Caldwell left UCLA in April to accept a position as LSU coach, she brought more than just her coaching staff.
Freshman forward Sheila Boykin, who signed with UCLA in fall 2010, left her home town of Los Angeles and traveled over 1,800 miles to sign with LSU on June 29.
“This coaching staff here, they’re part of the main reason why I wanted to be at UCLA,” Boykin said. “It was a very hard decision, but I’m not going to lie, they are part of the reason why I’m here.”
The 6-foot-2 Boykin, a 2011 Los Angeles Times All-Star, led Long Beach Poly High School as a senior averaging 10 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. ESPN Hoop Gurlz rated her the No. 27 player in the nation in 2011.
“Sheila has been a bright spot for this program,” Caldwell said. “She brings this undersize play to the game because she’s not a big post. But I’m not overly concerned with the size of our players more than the size of their heart and she brings that to the