Allison Hightower closed the book on her storied LSU career last week, and now she is ready to start a new chapter in her basketball life.The former LSU guard is anticipating the WNBA draft April 8. Hightower said she knew her calling at a young age, when she attended Houston Comets games with her grandparents in Houston.”I saw great players and a great fan base, and it got me excited about playing professionally,” Hightower said in a teleconference. “I got to visit a lot of games and go to a lot of championship games. I saw myself one day being in the WNBA, and it was a dream for me.”WNBA mock drafts project Hightower to be chosen in the middle to late first round, from No. 5 overall by the San Antonio Silver Stars to No. 11 by the defending Eastern Conference champion Indiana Fever.WNBA analyst Carolyn Peck said Hightower’s “versatility” will make her most marketable in the WNBA.”She can shoot the [3-pointers] — she’s improved that skill — and she has a mid-range game, which I think is a lost art,” Peck said. “She can also get all the way to the basket. She’s got a toughness about her that she’s demonstrated in leading her LSU team.”Peck said Hightower could be appealing to the Tulsa Shock, who have the No. 7 overall pick in the draft.”A player like Allison Hightower would be well-fitted for a coach like [the Shock’s] Nolan Richardson, who likes those athletic-type players who can score,” Peck said.Peck said LSU’s elimination at the hands of Duke in the second round of the NCAA tournament should not impact Hightower’s draft status.”I don’t think it will matter because of the way she played,” Peck said. “Every team in the country LSU played had to prepare to defend Allison Hightower. Even as she played against Duke, she was still able to put up good numbers, and she was the main focus of their defensive strategy.”Hightower said LSU women’s basketball coach Van Chancellor has taught her valuable skills during her college career that will propel her to succeed on whatever team selects her.”Some of the stuff he’s run here he’s run in the WNBA, like the pick and roll,” Hightower said. “He’s prepared me for the next level. He’s given me great advice about what I need to work on, and that’s a really big advantage.”Hightower said balancing her arm strength will be crucial because she is left-handed.”I need to have a stronger right hand and most definitely work on my jump shot,” she said.Hightower said she is excited to bring her defensive game to a WNBA team.”I come from a defensive school,” Hightower said. “It’s all about adding energy to the team by … going for loose balls getting deflections.”Hightower became the 14th Lady Tiger since 2001 to win All-America honors when she earned an Associated Press Honorable Mention on Tuesday. She said she embraces the idea of continuing to being a role model in the WNBA.”College has prepared us to be great role models because a lot of the people who come to our games are little kids and a younger crowd,” Hightower said. “The WNBA is the same fan base.  We have to carry out good attitudes and be responsible and disciplined, so someone can look up to you in every aspect of life.”—-Contact Rachel Whittaker at [email protected].