LSU forward Theresa Plaisance enters her senior season a National Player of the Year candidate with hopes of earning All-American honors.
The New Orleans native took the Southeastern Conference by storm last season, leading the league in scoring, averaging 17 points per game and earning spots on the 2013 All-SEC First Team and SEC All-Defensive Team.
But the path to becoming the Lady Tigers’ primary threat has not been an easy one. In fact, there was a time when Plaisance wondered if she would ever work her way into a starting role at LSU.
“She’s very easy to coach,” said LSU coach Nikki Caldwell. “She’s definitely a player that we expect to be a go-to player. She brings so much versatility because of her ability to score the basketball at all areas.”
Plaisance, a 2010 McDonald’s High School All-American and two-time Gatorade Louisiana Player of the Year, earned her status as a highly sought-after recruit after leading Vandebilt Catholic to its first state championship in her senior season.
But Plaisance was forced to learn a new role upon arriving at LSU, as she took a two-year backseat to former LSU and current Washington Mystics forward LaSondra Barrett.
“I didn’t really know that the SEC would bring that kind of intensity in the post play,” Plaisance said. “I was very afraid and not confident in myself going up against some of these post players.”
She averaged 2.1 points in 21 games off the bench her freshman season, and 4.5 points in 34 games as a sophomore.
Spending most of her first two seasons on the bench was less than ideal, but Plaisance said the experience played a crucial role in her development as a leader.
“I think I can relate to every single player on this team,” Plaisance said. “I’ve played every role that you can be on the team. … That helps me communicate better with my teammates.”
Going into her junior season, Plaisance had played an average of just more than nine minutes per game and she struggled with her confidence.
Plaisance may not have had confidence in her abilities, but Caldwell did.
She was convinced Plaisance could perfectly fill the void left by Barrett and the four other seniors who had just graduated.
“After losing five seniors who meant a lot to this program both offensively and defensively, we knew that Plaisance was very capable of carrying that load for us as an offensive player and a rebounder,” Caldwell said.
That’s all Plaisance needed to hear. She stopped limiting herself and developed into one of the nation’s best and most versatile post players in the nation over the course of an offseason.
“Every year, she has gotten better because she wanted to get better,” Caldwell. “She has put in the time and energy it takes to get better.”
Plaisance scored double figures in 31 of the Lady Tigers’ 33 games last season as she helped lead LSU to its first Sweet 16 in five years. In addition to earning the SEC scoring title, she also averaged 2.5 blocks per game (second in SEC) and 8.3 rebounds per game (fourth in SEC).
The Lady Tigers are playing with a deeper roster this season, so Plaisance has seen fewer minutes than she did last season — averaging 24.1 minutes per game compared to 31.7 last season — and, consequently, her numbers are down.
But she bears no burden to repeat the performance or win personal accolades this season, as her eyes are dead set on returning to the Sweet 16 and, hopefully, a few more games after that.
“She is so goofy because she doesn’t even understand the pressures that are there for an All-American, for one of the best teams in the country, for a potential first round draft pick, a pro player and hopefully one day an Olympian,” Caldwell said.
“Every year she has gotten better because she wanted to get better. She has put in the time and energy it takes to get better.”