The Lady Tigers have officially started the 2011-12 season, and after one practice, things are going in a completely different direction than last season.
Coach Nikki Caldwell leads the LSU women’s basketball program into the new season, where big changes were unveiled Thursday at the team’s first official practice of the season. Caldwell, in her first year at LSU after coaching at UCLA for three years, is bringing an up-tempo style of play to the team, with intense practices based on long periods of running.
“As a coach taking on a new program, you want to see where you’re at, and you want to fix things immediately,” Caldwell said. “But I know it’s going to be a process, so we’re making sure that we’re really going back grassroot into our fundamentals.”
The players are getting used to new things along with Caldwell, experiencing a mindset and training they’ve never seen before.
“It’s a new season, a fresh start,” said sophomore guard Jeanne Kenney. “Practice is faster, and we’re still getting used to the momentum. It’ll take a while, of course, but we feel like we had a really great practice today.”
Along with the fast-paced style of play, Caldwell is also working on the Lady Tigers’ toughness.
“It’s as physical as it’s going to get,” Kenney said. “You go after it, you want to win.”
The work ethic on the court isn’t the only thing that has changed entering the season.
New faces on the bench will appear for LSU this November, as assistant coaches Tasha Butts, Tony Perotti and Stacie Terry will join Caldwell for their first season at LSU for the 2011-12 season.
Caldwell and her staff have been preparing the Lady Tigers in the weeks leading up to the first official practice by introducing the team to the tempo and style of practices they will go through during the season.
“My assistants have done a phenomenal job of working them out,” Caldwell said. “[The team] has worked extremely hard this preseason. I’m excited about the potential of this team this year.”
Caldwell isn’t the only first-year member of the LSU women’s basketball team making noise in the offseason.
Freshman forward Krystal Forthan will make her LSU debut this November. The high school All-American from Portland, Ore., said she was nervous for her first practice, but she has confidence in her ability to make the transition from high school to college.
“I fit in well with the team, the tempo and all the plays, and I can help the team and everybody around me,” Forthan said.
The Lady Tigers are coming off a 19-13 season with an 8-8 Southeastern Conference record, guided by former coach Van Chancellor.
 
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Contact Adrian Wintz at [email protected]