Aneesah Morrow to LSU (merged)

[Britt87]

She's really good, but how well she mesh with the other Tigerettes?

I don't think she'll have an issue meshing.

 

[Britt87]

Looking at their lineup, I'm guessing the rotation will now be:

PG-Hailey Van Lith, Grad Student
SG-Mikaylah Williams, Fr
SF-Flaujae Johnson, So
PF-Aneesah Morrow, Jr
C-Angel Reese, Jr

Bench:
Sa'Myah Smith, So
Kateri Poole, So
Last-Tear Poa, Jr
Aaliyah Del-Rosario, Fr
Angelica Velez, Fr

I wouldn't be surprised if Williams comes off the bench in favor of Poole, though most #1 or #2 recruits start from the get go.

Front court rotation is elite with Smith backing up Reese/Morrow. Backcourt also looks solid. This is the #1 team in the country on paper going into next season.

The big question is how all of these players will work together, and who will be content taking on a smaller role (being a screener, rebounder, taking fewer shots, etc). I think every player will go into the year planning to sacrifice for the greater good of the team, but intention is often easier than implementing adjustments. Last year Reese took 15.6 shots per game, Van Lith 16.8, Morrow 24.7. They're all used to being the star, and now a couple of them will relinquish that role. Players putting ego aside and playing unselfish basketball will make or break LSU. Someone (likely Morrow) will need to take pride in being a screener and doing a lot of the little things that aren't as fun or flashy for the betterment of the team. Van Lith will need to take pride in being a passer and getting teammates involved.

Worth noting, this entire roster could return for 2024-25 as well. Even if Reese/Hailey Van Lith go pro, the crop of returning players are elite and should have LSU a top 3 team the following season as well. There will be some massive battles in the SEC between LSU and South Carolina this year and in years to come.

Mikaylah is the most skilled player on the team as a freshman. Trust me, she's not coming off the bench. Pool will be benched.

 

[SEbluebood]

Ahhhhhh the weight of great expectations..................I sure can't blame Morrow for cashing in on the LSU casino........can Reese repeat her MVP play next season or will all the media attention be a distraction for her and the rest of the team? She better just not accumulate too many parking tickets in that slick Mercedes of hers or she'll have to sit out a game against St Ignesious of Ohio.......

Can you point me to your post after Paige won POY and received overwhelming media attention AND you questioned if she and her team would be distracted?? I didn’t think so! Ah yes, and throw in the gratuitous cheapshot on the LSU SOS for good fun. Is it really that hard to give credit to LSU for winning the championship?? You seem worried about the weight of great expectations for LSU! Surely you must have the same concerns for the Huskies then???

 

[luminosity]

Right now, LSU is the team to beat for next year's national championship and to think otherwise is, frankly, delusional. Hailey Van Lith and AM are two AA-level players who just joined the reigning national champions who already have an AA player and a top tier coach. They are 100% the best team, on paper, in the country right now.

With that said, the season hasn't started yet and you never know what will happen. UCONN, SC, UCLA, and other teams will be strong. We wiill have to see what happens.

 

[SEbluebood]

I agree. People are confusing hype with talent and its funny to me.

Kind of what some UConn fans do when they predict multiple national championships based on recruiting alone!!! Much of UConn nation incorrectly assumes that only Geno can blend multiple talents into a winner and that no one else can. What’s funny to me is that UConn fans assume that Geno will have no problem keeping his dozen of high caliber players happy and productive , while other coaches will struggle with the same challenge. There were no playing time conflicts last year due to injuries, but UConn, like others, may very well be challenged in that regard this year!

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Kind of what some UConn fans do when they predict multiple national championships based on recruiting alone!!! Much of UConn nation incorrectly assumes that only Geno can blend multiple talents into a winner and that no one else can. What’s funny to me is that UConn fans assume that Geno will have no problem keeping his dozen of high caliber players happy and productive , while other coaches will struggle with the same challenge. There were no playing time conflicts last year due to injuries, but UConn, like others, may very well be challenged in that regard this year!

Well the difference is Morrow and Hailey Van Lith have proven to be inefficient high usage college players and took more shots this year than 3 of the last four players of the year. UConn doesn’t typically have any players like that on their roster, let alone multiple players. For comparison when Paige’s freshman year she averaged 20 points per game and took 424 shots all season. Hailey Van Lith took 623 shots last year just to average 19. Morrow shot 800 shots last year. That wouldn’t happen at UConn. If UConn was bringing in Hailey Van Lith or Morrow I would have the same concerns. Having watched them both throughout the season my fingers were crossed we wouldn’t bring either in because I think they both had the tendency to make their teams worse during the season. While Kim has done well with egos in past she also had had teams at Baylor that were less than the sum of their parts and I think people are already overrating these parts. UConn has more returning college all Americans for goodness sake.

I’m not worried about playing time conflicts for UConn or any other team. If you aren’t good enough to crack to the top 8 you shouldn’t be putting up a stink. I think the top 3 players staying healthy will be the biggest concern for UConn for the next 11 months.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Right now, LSU is the team to beat for next year's national championship and to think otherwise is, frankly, delusional. Hailey Van Lith and AM are two AA-level players who just joined the reigning national champions who already have an AA player and a top tier coach. They are 100% the best team, on paper, in the country right now.

With that said, the season hasn't started yet and you never know what will happen. UCONN, SC, UCLA, and other teams will be strong. We wiill have to see what happens.

They are not AA level players because they are not All American. Do you know what team does have two returning All-Americans? UConn with Paige and Edwards. On paper UConn is still the best team in the country. I would put LSU above them because they’ve proved it on the court and UConn has to prove they can stay healthy at this point.

 

[bballnut90]

Honest question, how true is this really? I hear a lot of things spewed about players when they do transfer and the players end up the opposite of what everyone thought or speculate about them.

Idk the dynamic between Reese and Brenda so its not fair for me to speculate that. I think Reese wanted more freedom handling the ball (like taking it up the court). She spent most of her time in the paint last season so I fail to see how adding Morrow would make anything different. Besides, if Reese wants to spend more time outside she needs to develop a consistent permimeter jumper. I think Morrow will compliment Reese well inside as she has more range. The only knock is 6'3 and 6'1 is a bit smaller of a post group by Mulkey standards but Morrow rebounds incredibly well for her size. You also have 6'2 (Smith) and 6'6 (Rosario) coming off the bench

If anything Reese was more of a center at LSU than she was at Maryland. She’ll continue to get looks at the high elbow and share high low action with Morrow similar to how she did with Williams.

 

[bballnut90]

I don't get posts like these. No one is saying LSU is going to breeze through the SEC. SEC is actually a bit tougher than most want to give credit for and its gotten stronger IMO from portal additions throughout the conference as a whole. LSU despite winning a national title is still in the process of rebuilding the program. They lacked overall talent and quality depth last season but now LSU is adding too much talent from adding just two transfers? Did anyone not watch LSU almost burn out midseason because they had no bench?

The ego argument is beyond tiring. There is only one ego in the room that matters and that only. These same players know exactly what they are signing up for.

The post they responded too literally said, "they should easily win the SEC"

 

[mbr33ct]

Geno said after the first practice with Lou, he wondered who was coming off the bench.
Lou was that good.

True but I doubt Geno and company knew that at time they extended the welcome to Lou to UConn. The expectation before the season started Paige and Ice were healthy and we know how that went.

 

[Tonyc]

Morrow and Van Lith are very good and Kim is a great coach and thats it. Do I think Paige and Azzi are better. Yes alot better. Paige can not only take a game over she makes everybody around her better and creates good chemistry. Azzi next to Paige will take any pressure off the team. Alot of you are focusing on negative possibilities at LSU. We cant control what LSU does. LSU on paper is very good and they have a good coach and that isnt gonna change. Accept it and understand so is UConn. We are UConn and we are loaded too. LSU will give us competition at the top just like Tenn did years ago, just like Baylor did with Griner and we beat them twice, just like some other teams did in the past. I think UConn is a better team then LSU right now and I also think if both teams meet it will be a battle that will come down to their guard play.

IMO not much will change for LSU with Morrow and Van Lith. They are 2 big names who can play and will they make LSU good. They will replace two players who were very good. How much better will LSU be? We will wait and see. The only question for UConn is can they stay healthy. If healthy UConn is gonna be very tuff. Another question will be how soon will another big ( Jana, Ice, Patterson Amari, Quandence etc) be ready to step in and make an impact. UConns guards will draw alot of attention and that will open things up for everybody else. We have seen what Paige and Azzi can do. They can both take games over.

I know on paper LSU is very good and so is UConn. I just think the difference is a healthy Paige and Azzi which imo if they are UConn is almost unbeatable.

 

[cancontent]

If anything Reese was more of a center at LSU than she was at Maryland. She’ll continue to get looks at the high elbow and share high low action with Morrow similar to how she did with Williams.

Reminds me of Austin when she transferred to Ole Miss. I don't think her game changed all that much either.

 

[sun]

I expect that both Morrow & Hailey Van Lith will show improvement.
The ESPN article mentioned that Kim wants Morrow to work on her perimeter game which suggests that she may be used as a combo guard.
What I like about Ice is that she's a lefty with a great mid-range game on that weak side of the basket.
LSU won't be a paper tiger this year & the team that gels the best & consistently executes will win the NC in the end.

 

[SCGamecock]

That was more than 5 years ago lol. So you should understand what I mean. Which is why im surprised that a lot of Uconn and South Carolina fans are the ones saying “there’s only one basketball” when yall know first hand 1.) Injuries happen, 2.) freshman aren’t always ready year 1. I’ve been a UConn fan much longer than I’ve been following LSU womens basketball. So I understand teams with large amounts of talent. Which is why I think LSU will be fine because Kim Mulkey is used to teams like this. I just think how quickly she’s getting buy in from transfers and recruits is surprising a lot of people. Even with these transfers, UConn and South Carolina still has more 5 stars than LSU. And both have just as many chemistry concerns.

The way LSU has allowed their athletes to be themselves and grow their platform has been seen somewhat negative to some people and they’re creating this notion that these players are selfish and won’t be able to play together. When maybe these transfers are seeing that LSU will give them the platform to not only excel at basketball, but also give them opportunities outside of basketball. And I think we should be celebrating these athletes not trying to put them down. UConn has their way off doing things and I love it. So does South Carolina. Its showing that the ways to succeed in womens college basketball are growing and that will only bring more attention to our game.

For the record, I don't think LSU will have chemistry issues.

Kim has proven that she can mesh strong personalities together. I will need to see these so-called chemistry issues play out before I believe them. In this regard, I can definitely give Kim the benefit of the doubt because if anybody can do it, she can.

 

[SCGamecock]

Mikaylah is the most skilled player on the team as a freshman. Trust me, she's not coming off the bench. Pool will be benched.

If Williams was on my team I'd want her starting. That kid is a straight baller. So excited to see her play everybody not named South Carolina.

 

[Charliebball]

Can you point me to your post after Paige won POY and received overwhelming media attention AND you questioned if she and her team would be distracted?? I didn’t think so! Ah yes, and throw in the gratuitous cheapshot on the LSU SOS for good fun. Is it really that hard to give credit to LSU for winning the championship?? You seem worried about the weight of great expectations for LSU! Surely you must have the same concerns for the Huskies then???

I certainly posted congratulations to Kim and her team's accomplishments after they won the championship..........it was an incredibly impressive performance especially since she'd built that program from a pretty low point in just a few years...........Kim's concerns about being under-ranked heading into the Tournament are completely attributable to her weak out-of-conference scheduling...........I haven't seen LSU's schedule for next year but I hope she's stepped up the competition level a notch...........UConn fans know just how difficult it is to repeat success year after year with the weight of the basketball world's expectations on their team's shoulders...........as far as Paige goes I've never had the need to question her ability to tune out expectations...........she's never changed regardless of all the fame and adulation..............no showboating or calling out other players..........she's just gone about her business supporting her teammates when she is out injured and using her name and NIL money to help others in her community who are less fortunate which is her nature.........

 

[Charliebball]

I expect that both Morrow & Hailey Van Lith will show improvement.
The ESPN article mentioned that Kim wants Morrow to work on her perimeter game which suggests that she may be used as a combo guard.
What I like about Ice is that she's a lefty with a great mid-range game on that weak side of the basket.
LSU won't be a paper tiger this year & the team that gels the best & consistently executes will win the NC in the end.

I'm sure opponents would be thrilled with that idea.............Morrow is a rebounding machine, the farther she is from the basket the less dangerous she is.........

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Honest question, how true is this really? I hear a lot of things spewed about players when they do transfer and the players end up the opposite of what everyone thought or speculate about them.

Idk the dynamic between Reese and Brenda so its not fair for me to speculate that. I think Reese wanted more freedom handling the ball (like taking it up the court). She spent most of her time in the paint last season so I fail to see how adding Morrow would make anything different. Besides, if Reese wants to spend more time outside she needs to develop a consistent permimeter jumper. I think Morrow will compliment Reese well inside as she has more range. The only knock is 6'3 and 6'1 is a bit smaller of a post group by Mulkey standards but Morrow rebounds incredibly well for her size. You also have 6'2 (Smith) and 6'6 (Rosario) coming off the bench

Reese was quoted as saying having to play center was part of why she transferred.

I'm sure things can change though.

 

[HuskyNan]

Honest question, how true is this really? I hear a lot of things spewed about players when they do transfer and the players end up the opposite of what everyone thought or speculate about them.

Idk the dynamic between Reese and Brenda so its not fair for me to speculate that. I think Reese wanted more freedom handling the ball (like taking it up the court). She spent most of her time in the paint last season so I fail to see how adding Morrow would make anything different. Besides, if Reese wants to spend more time outside she needs to develop a consistent permimeter jumper. I think Morrow will compliment Reese well inside as she has more range. The only knock is 6'3 and 6'1 is a bit smaller of a post group by Mulkey standards but Morrow rebounds incredibly well for her size. You also have 6'2 (Smith) and 6'6 (Rosario) coming off the bench

Morrow played out of position at DePaul. Her natural position is, IMO, a 4/3, although her perimeter shooting isn’t strong enough to consider her a true wing. She’s a tweener. Morrow’s greatest strengths are her physical strength, quickness, tenacity, and what Geno calls “slippery-ness” like former Husky Barb Turner. If I were her coach I’d work on her shot selection, developing a more reliable mid-range shot, and a developing a jab step/upfake because her quickness can get her by a defender in a hurry.

 

[BRS24]

Morrow played out of position at DePaul. Her natural position is, IMO, a 4/3, although her perimeter shooting isn’t strong enough to consider her a true wing. She’s a tweener. Morrow’s greatest strengths are her physical strength, quickness, tenacity, and what Geno calls “slippery-ness” like former Husky Barb Turner. If I were her coach I’d work on her shot selection, developing a more reliable mid-range shot, and a developing a jab step/upfake because her quickness can get her by a defender in a hurry.

Yup. Posted an ESPN article in the LSU #1 thread, and you are on the money:

"Still, Mulkey will have to assess where exactly Morrow best fits on the floor. At 6-foot-1, Morrow would be undersized in the post in the SEC, and her best shot at making it in the WNBA would be for her to develop more perimeter skills. Morrow told ESPN she and Mulkey have already discussed how they can take advantage of her versatility and expand her game to play more on the perimeter. She showed growth in this regard from freshman to sophomore year (she shot over 200 3-pointers this past season, for example) and can build upon that even more once she gets to campus."

 

[GamecockFam]

LSU averaged 65 shots per game last season (47 FG%), which seems to be on the upper average across NCAA women's basketball. Taking that into account, between Hailey Van Lith, Morrow, and Reece, something has to give.

A. Reece - 8.2 makes on 15.6 attempts per game (52.5 FG%)

A. Morrow -10.3 makes on 24.3 attempts per game ( 42.5 FG%)

H. Van Lith - 6.9 makes on 16.8 attempts (41.1 FG%)

This means these three players had a total of 25.4 makes on 56.7 attempts (44.8 FG%) for 68.4 points per game on average. That leaves around 5-10 shot attempts for the rest of the team if nothing changes. I don't see that happening.

My guess is that Morrow will take a significant decrease in shot attempts but her FG% will rise since she can be more selective in her shots and opponents won't be able to single her out on defense like they did at DePaul. Hailey Van Lith and Reece's numbers will probably stay around the same numbers on 1-2 less shots per game.

Factoring in the new faces and those that were lost, I think we're looking at an 80 ppg type of team with around a 50% FG average. On paper it looks like a top 10 offense.

I think there is much to be questioned on defense, especially concerning team chemistry and communication. Kim Mulkey is a fantastic defensive minded coach. I bet there will be headaches along the way but they'll be at a minimum an average defensive team by the post season.

I would put UConn as my preseason #1 team but LSU looks like a solid #2.

 

[baggerbob]

Morrow and Van Lith are very good and Kim is a great coach and thats it. Do I think Paige and Azzi are better. Yes alot better. Paige can not only take a game over she makes everybody around her better and creates good chemistry. Azzi next to Paige will take any pressure off the team. Alot of you are focusing on negative possibilities at LSU. We cant control what LSU does. LSU on paper is very good and they have a good coach and that isnt gonna change. Accept it and understand so is UConn. We are UConn and we are loaded too. LSU will give us competition at the top just like Tenn did years ago, just like Baylor did with Griner and we beat them twice, just like some other teams did in the past. I think UConn is a better team then LSU right now and I also think if both teams meet it will be a battle that will come down to their guard play.

IMO not much will change for LSU with Morrow and Van Lith. They are 2 big names who can play and will they make LSU good. They will replace two players who were very good. How much better will LSU be? We will wait and see. The only question for UConn is can they stay healthy. If healthy UConn is gonna be very tuff. Another question will be how soon will another big ( Jana, Ice, Patterson Amari, Quandence etc) be ready to step in and make an impact. UConns guards will draw alot of attention and that will open things up for everybody else. We have seen what Paige and Azzi can do. They can both take games over.

I know on paper LSU is very good and so is UConn. I just think the difference is a healthy Paige and Azzi which imo if they are UConn is almost unbeatable.

Like all your writeups, but the big question with Paige and Azzi, neither one of them has been able to stay healthy.
They both have to get through a full season, and hopefully they will.
But right now you can't count on either of them.
Uconn still will be in the hunt.

 

[CTGirl15]

Not sure the SEC will be interesting at all. No one is in the same league as LSU. They are unlikely to lose a single game all the way to the championship. Morrow is a huge addition (and a shock to me). I was hoping she would pick USC or someplace other than LSU. The concentration of talent is overwhelming. Time to say again: " this may not be good for women's college basketball." And there won't be any problems integrating these players into a team. Kim is great at that. This just makes it unnecessary to move the trophy anywhere else next season. It can stay in the LSU gymnasium.

I think the SEC has the potential to be very interesting next year. Dawn still has a very talented team at SC, Tennessee is bringing back experienced players, Kim's loading up a superteam, Coach Yo has proven herself a great recruiter and coach since she was hired at Ole Miss, and Coach Abe has made an impact as well.

I think LSU is the runaway favorite and might run through the season undefeated, but I still think the SEC is looking like a very interesting conference next season.

 

[Charliebball]

Yup. Posted an ESPN article in the LSU #1 thread, and you are on the money:

"Still, Mulkey will have to assess where exactly Morrow best fits on the floor. At 6-foot-1, Morrow would be undersized in the post in the SEC, and her best shot at making it in the WNBA would be for her to develop more perimeter skills. Morrow told ESPN she and Mulkey have already discussed how they can take advantage of her versatility and expand her game to play more on the perimeter. She showed growth in this regard from freshman to sophomore year (she shot over 200 3-pointers this past season, for example) and can build upon that even more once she gets to campus."

she shot 209 three-pointers last season and made 53 for a shooting percentage of .254......the prior season she took 57 three-pointers and made 13 for a shooting percentage of .228......since she normally shoots well over .500 close to the basket, I'll have no complaints if she shoots mostly threes if and when LSU plays UConn next......