This time last year, LSU women’s basketball coach Nikki Fargas was getting her team ready to participate in the NCAA tournament in Tampa, Florida.
This year, the Lady Tigers are just glad to make it through the season after several season-ending injuries forced LSU to venture deep into its bench.
Next season, the Lady Tigers will have more depth after bringing in three freshmen recruits and two transfers, to go along with the return of junior guard Raigyne Moncrief and freshman forward Ayana Mitchell.
“You look at seven additions to our roster, you’re almost putting together an entirely new team,” Fargas said.
This new team will have to replace several key players in the post after LSU is loses three forwards to graduation.
Fortunately, the Lady Tigers will have several options in the paint next season, including leading scorer and rebounder junior forward Alexis Hyder.
LSU is adding 6-foot-2 sophomore forward Tatum Neubert, a transfer from Oregon, and freshmen centers Faustine Aifuwa and Yasmine Bidikuindila, who are 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-6, respectively.
Neubert, who left Oregon after a coaching change, played 23 games as a Duck, three of which she started. As a high school athlete, Neubert was nominated a McDonald’s All-American and was the top scorer in the state of Colorado.
Aifuwa is ranked by ESPNW’s Hoopgurlz as the No. 15 center in the 2016-17 recruiting class. As a high school athlete for Dacula High School in Dacula, Georgia, she recorded over 1,300 points and 1,200 rebounds, along with nearly 500 blocks.
Aifuwa told her hometown paper, the Gwinnett Daily Post, that she chose LSU over programs like Texas A&M and Louisville because of the players and coaches.
“I really liked the people, and I got along with the coach and the players really well,” Aifuwa said. “A lot of weight comes off my shoulders, knowing I’m at a place I feel wanted and will love to be at. It feels really good.”
Along with Aifuwa, LSU had another big signing in Bidikuindila.
Bidikuindila, a Canada native, had originally signed with Providence College but decided to sign with the Lady Tigers. In Canada, she played for Quebec in Canada’s provincial tournament.
Along with the front court additions, LSU is also adding two guards, which will provide depth for the Lady Tigers.
Sophomore guard Chloe Jackson is a transfer from North Carolina State. As a high school athlete for Riverland Baptist High School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, Jackson was an honorable mention on the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association All-American team and won a National Association of Christian Athletes championship game.
“Chloe Jackson is an unbelievable guard who suffered an injury at NC State but has four years of eligibility, so we’re excited that we can have her for that long of a period of time,” Fargas said. “She too will bring that athleticism, that scoring, and she’s one of the best rebounding guards.”
The last addition to the Lady Tigers is Jaelyn Richard-Harris, a point guard from Houston, Texas. Richard-Harris is rated as the No. 27 point guard in the nation by ESPN Hoopgurlz.
Richard-Harris guided Spring Dekaney High School in Texas to a University Interscholastic League state championship game, a promise she made to her coach in middle school, before finishing as runners up.
“[Richard-Harris] is just an unbelievable person,” Fargas said. “She only stands at about 5-foot-4, but she reminds me of [former LSU guard] Temeka Johnson in her ability to lead a team and her quickness and athleticism. She too can shoot the three. She was the assist leader in her Houston area.”
Although the class lacked a Louisianian, Fargas said LSU needs to be able to expand beyond the state to continue to compete nationally.
Fargas said she hopes next season will bring in more Louisiana players like Tameka Johnson and Semoine Augustus, who helped bring the Lady Tigers to five Final Fours from 2003-2008.
“We want to make sure we’re expanding our reaches,” Fargas said. “The state of Louisiana has really picked up as far as the quality of prospects that are in the state … so we are definitely keying in on our state and making sure that we focus in on the upcoming talent in the state of Louisiana.”