LSU women’s basketball took the court for a public practice inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Monday.
For some players, it was a welcome back moment. Players like Flau’jae Johnson, Mikaylah Williams and Aneesah Morrow were back in full effect, each now expected to take on leadership roles.
“It’s kind of like an evolution of the next era,” Kim Mulkey said.
But for one player, the return felt a little different.
Seven games into last season, Sa’Myah Smith suffered a torn ACL, forcing her to miss the remainder of the season. At the time, Smith was playing some of her best basketball as an LSU Tiger.
In seven games, she averaged 11.7 points per game, 7.6 rebounds per game and 1.6 blocks per game. She scored a career-high 21 points per game against both Queens University of Charlotte and Mississippi Valley State.
The road to recovery was a long and difficult one for Smith. But the journey led to Monday afternoon, where LSU fans were able to see her out on the other side of adversity.
“When Sa’Myah went down, she was almost averaging a double-double,” Mulkey said. “You hope she can give you that, and more.”
However, injuries did not rid themselves of this LSU team completely. Aalyah Del Rosario suffered an ankle injury this offseason and was limited during Monday’s practice.
Mulkey hopes Del Rosario will be at full strength for the start of the season, but she’s not rushing her road to recovery.
“I try not to ask because I believe that the more you ask, the more they might be thinking it’s pressure to get out there,” Mulkey said. “Just tap me on the shoulder when she can go.”
Many returners and familiar faces took the floor once again at the PMAC. For some, it was Tiger fans’ first look at its new additions this offseason.
LSU added four transfers this offseason in Jersey Wolfenbarger, Kailyn Gilbert, Mjracle Sheppard and Shayeann Day-Wilson.
Wolfenbarger transferred to LSU from Arkansas, as she committed to the Tigers on March 25. The 6-foot-5 forward will look to play a similar role to Morrow with her ability to bounce between the frontcourt and the backcourt.
In the 2022-23 season, Wolfenbarger averaged 3.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. She was a member of the SEC All-Freshman team for the 2021-22 season with 7.6 points per game and 4.3 rebounds per game.
In April, LSU added Gilbert, Sheppard and Day-Wilson.
Gilbert transferred to LSU from Arizona, where last season she averaged a team-leading 15.1 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game and 2.3 assists per game. She also finished with a 41.9 field goal percentage.
Sheppard, who transferred from Mississippi State, averaged five points per game along with 2.6 rebounds per game and 2.1 assists per game last season.
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The former Bulldog guard excels most on the defensive side of the ball, where she’s presented challenges to Mulkey’s previous LSU teams. Last season, Sheppard averaged 1.4 steals per game.
Day-Wilson transferred to LSU after playing two seasons at Duke, but she played at Miami last season. At Miami, she averaged 11.9 points per game along with 2.7 rebounds per game and 3.5 assists per game.
All of LSU’s transfers this offseason add needed depth to the guard position, as Last-Tear Poa is also set to return to the backcourt along with Johnson and Williams.
But the Tigers also added Jada Richard, a true freshman from Lafayette Christian Academy.
Richard was ranked as a four-star out of high school, and a top-100 recruit, according to ESPNW. She was Louisiana’s Gatorade Player of the Year last season, and she finished her high school career with four state championships.
“I saw that young lady hit almost 40 against Mikaylah’s [Williams] team in high school,” Mulkey said. “She understands the point guard position as good as anybody I’ve coached.”
Mulkey expects this season’s team to be athletic; a team with speed and quickness.
With Angel Reese now in the WNBA, the biggest challenge for this LSU team will be its rebounding.
That being said, it may be an unfamiliar look from the Tigers this season. They very well could be a team that plays quick, drives to the basket, and can hurt teams on the perimeter.
But all in all, the team will provide a look that Mulkey and her staff can certainly work with.
