Freshman year has been a work in progress for LSU center Derreyal Youngblood.
But with the help of her current teammates and staff at her high school, Youngblood is successfully adjusting to the academic and athletic demands of a four-year university.
Having 600 people in one class was an adjustment for Youngblood because her high school, John Curtis, only had 370 students, according to Youngblood’s high school counselor, Alicia Naccari.
Naccari, who has worked with Youngblood since seventh grade, spends time with all of the student-athletes at John Curtis High School to prepare them for what to expect in college because being a student-athlete can be a demanding full-time job.
“I wasn’t worried about Derreyal adjusting to LSU,” Naccari said. “Derreyal is motivated, full of energy, and has a desire to achieve on that level, so I knew she’d be fine.”
Naccari said the demands and expectations of Youngblood were so high in high school because her coach attended Tulane University on an athletic scholarship and also spent time in the WNBA, which ultimately helped with the freshman’s transition to college.
Along with adjusting to the class size, Youngblood needed to accept to her new role on the team.
“I am used to everything revolving around me,” Youngblood said. “I just had to basically grow up and understand that I am not the star of the team anymore. There’s people better than me.”
Former Lady Tiger LaSondra Barrett mentored Youngblood on the court and taught her the importance of patience. In the future, Youngblood wants to use her newfound patience to be a dominant force on the team.
“Maybe when I become a sophomore or junior or senior, I can learn how to lead the team,” Youngblood said. “And maybe it’ll come to where I [am] that person [who’s] like ‘this my paint, I own it.’”
Youngblood said one of her biggest lessons so far has been the challenge of managing her time. She said dealing with back-to-back classes and hours of practice were hard to handle at first.
“Sometimes there’s no time for a nap, so I have to deal with it,” Youngblood said.
Standing at 6-foot-4 with the nickname Tank, Youngblood hasn’t always been comfortable with her size. Basketball taught the center how to appreciate her body along with every thing that could be done with it.
“This is a very unique body,” Youngblood said. “Basketball brought a whole lot of confidence to me and my size, so I’m not afraid to use it.”
Youngblood, LSU’s first true center since Sylvia Fowles, is open to the fast-paced offense and is learning how to be more flexible.
“Coach Nikki told me she’s going to mold me to a player that can play center, also play forward and outside,” Youngblood said. “So maybe, by the time I’m a senior, I’m going to learn how to play the point guard.”
