Seimone's Greatest Moment #1: Signing Day

Media_http4bpblogspot_dwfgf
Seimone Augustus is the greatest player to ever don an LSU Lady Tiger basketball jersey, and this Sunday she will become the first female student-athlete in LSU history to have her jersey retired when LSU hosts No. 4 Tennessee at 5 p.m. CST on ESPNU. The jersey retirement takes place at 4:30 p.m. Seimone Augustus' career was filled with brilliant moments in her four years. Defining which lasting images rank at the top is no easy chore, but this week on LSUsports.net, we will do our best to remember some of those great moments.

Our panel of LSU associate head coach Bob Starkey, women's basketball SID Bill Martin, senior associate sports information director Kent Lowe, radio announcer Patrick Wright and former LSU women's basketball SID Brian Miller, who covered Augustus' four years, has selected a top five. The top five moments will be unveiled throughout the week leading up to Sunday's 4:30 p.m. jersey retirement.

Today, we take a look at the greatest moment.

Former LSU Athletics Director Skip Bertman called her "the single most important recruit in the history of LSU Athletics." That moment became a reality on April 30, 2002, when the nation's top high school prospect Seimone Augustus pledged her commitment to the LSU Lady Tigers on national signing day.

The Lady Tiger coaching staff had no idea Augustus would announce her intentions to her hometown university. At a gathering of a few hundred students, teachers and fans at Capitol High School, Augustus arrived in an orange cap and shirt. Her choices had come down to two schools - LSU and Tennessee.

The attire proved to be anything but the truth. Minutes later the high school phenol uttered, "This has been a very long and hard recruiting process for me, but I've finally narrowed it down to one school. Next year I will be attending Louisiana State University."

The words forever changed the landscape of women's college basketball at LSU. They sent the late Sue Gunter running through the halls of the LSU women's basketball office as she watched local television coverage.

"This is not only great for LSU, I also think it's great for Seimone and her family and for the people at Capitol," Gunter said. "She's a great addition for our program and she can play a lot of different positions."

Filed under  //  Seimone Augustus  
Posted by Bill Martin  

KG's career high, great team effort, lead Lady Tigers

Media_http1bpblogspot_hbgca
BILL MARTIN (1-21-10):
BATON ROUGE -- Junior guard Katherine Graham drained her first eight shots en route to a career-high 24 points, and the 18th-ranked LSU women's basketball team returned to the win column, 69-52, over South Carolina on Thursday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

"I am pleased we won, but I am equally as pleased with how we won tonight," LSU head coach Van Chancellor said. "We won against a really good team. We out-rebounded them, we had fewer turnovers than they did, we took quality shots, and we played smart. We had a lot of enthusiasm early and I think the Lady Tigers have to play a certain way."

The Lady Tigers (14-3, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) snapped a two-game losing skid and never trailed against the Gamecocks. The win vaulted LSU back over the .500 mark in league play and set the stage for a showdown with No. 3 Tennessee at 5 p.m. CST Sunday in the Maravich Center.

South Carolina (10-8, 3-3) saw its three-game winning streak come to an end as they fell to the Lady Tigers for the 14th straight time dating back to 1999. The Gamecocks' last win over LSU occurred at the 1998 SEC Tournament.

LSU's stingy defense, which surrendered 80 points for the first time in nearly six years on Sunday at Ole Miss, returned to its attacking ways and shut down one of the SEC's premier scorers.

Senior guard Allison Hightower, who finished with 16 points, held South Carolina's Valerie Nainima to five points on just 2-of-9 shooting. Nainima entered Thursday's game with an 18.5 scoring average that ranked third in the SEC.

Graham torched the Gamecocks for 22 points in the first half as she finished 8-of-8 from the floor in the first 20 minutes. Sophomore forward LaSondra Barrett erupted for 14 second-half points to finish with 18, her fifth straight double-figure game.


Read the entire article (complete with quotes, video and photos): http://bit.ly/4YY9fJ

Posted by Bill Martin  

Seimone's Greatest Moment #2: Lady Tigers First Final Four

Media_http2bpblogspot_tqufn
Seimone Augustus is the greatest player to ever don an LSU Lady Tiger basketball jersey, and this Sunday she will become the first female student-athlete in LSU history to have her jersey retired when LSU hosts No. 4 Tennessee at 5 p.m. CST on ESPNU. The jersey retirement takes place at 4:30 p.m. Seimone Augustus' career was filled with brilliant moments in her four years. Defining which lasting images rank at the top is no easy chore, but this week on LSUsports.net, we will do our best to remember some of those great moments.

Our panel of LSU associate head coach Bob Starkey, women's basketball SID Bill Martin, senior associate sports information director Kent Lowe, radio announcer Patrick Wright and former LSU women's basketball SID Brian Miller, who covered Augustus' four years, has selected a top five.

The top five moments will be unveiled throughout the week leading up to Sunday's 4:30 p.m. jersey retirement.

Today, we take a look at No. 2.

In the 29th season of women's basketball at LSU, the Lady Tigers had finally advanced to that elusive NCAA Final Four. Sophomore All-American Seimone Augustus scored a then-career-high 29 points and LSU overcame a seven-point deficit in the final six minutes to beat No. 3-seed Georgia, 62-60, on March 29, 2004, in Bank of America Arena.

Augustus, the NCAA West Region's Most Outstanding Player at 26.3 points per game, made 12-of-19 shots including two three pointers. The 6-1 guard also grabbed eight rebounds, had two assists, two blocks and a steal. Augustus scored 105 points in four games in the tournament, leading all scorers.

Augustus scored 16 points of 7-of-11 shooting -- all but two from outside 15 feet -- to lead the Lady Tigers in the second half. A rare three-pointer by Augustus with 15:50 to play in the game gave LSU its largest lead to that point, 37-34, but a 15-6 Georgia run put the Lady Bulldogs back on top at the 8:20 mark, 49-43.

LSU was able to cut the lead to two twice on a layup by Treynell Clavelle and a 12-footer by Augustus before Hardrick hit a 24-footer as the shot clock expired to give the Lady Bulldogs a 59-54 lead with 4:02 to play.

The Lady Tigers went on an 8-1 run over the final four minutes, including a 12-footer from Temeka Johnson with 1:03 to play that proved to be the game winner.

"We knew we had a matchup problem with Augustus," Georgia head coach Andy Landers said. "She's just very good. Our kids did a great job on her; they were right there and doing everything they could."

Augustus' postseason was one of the finest on record. Without the Baton Rouge native, LSU simply wouldn't have advanced to a Final Four. When LSU began its run in the 2004 NCAA Tournament, it was the culmination of a season of destiny that ended in New Orleans. Just a game earlier, Augustus had poured in 29 points as LSU toppled top-seeded Texas, 71-55.

Read the entire article: http://bit.ly/6HtlAu

Filed under  //  Seimone Augustus  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Seimone Addresses Media About Jersey Retirement

Media_http4bpblogspot_fyuwf
BATON ROUGE -- LSU women's basketball legend Seimone Augustus addressed members of the media at a press luncheon on Wednesday at Walk-On's Bistreaux. Augustus, a former two-time National Player of the Year, spoke about the significance of becoming the first female athlete in LSU Athletics history to have her jersey retired.

Augustus was joined by LSU Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Joe Alleva and LSU women's basketball head coach Van Chancellor. The Baton Rouge native becomes the ninth individual to have his/her jersey retired in the 117-year history of LSU Athletics.

Augustus' senior season was 2006, but the LSU Athletic Council unanimously waived the five-year waiting period a student-athlete must normally have to be nominated after completing intercollegiate competition.

The official jersey retirement will take place prior to the LSU-Tennessee game on Sunday in the Maravich Center. Augustus' jersey will forever hang from the rafters in the Maravich Center, joining the likes of legends Pete Maravich, Shaquille O'Neal and Bob Pettit. The ceremony begins at 4:30 p.m. CST. No. 18 LSU takes on No. 3 Tennessee at 5 p.m. CST .

On the signature moments of her collegiate career...
"My high point was coming here, just making the decision not to go to Tennessee and coming here and staying home. Being able to play for a respected coach like Coach (Sue) Gunter and to be able to play with some of the girls that I grew up playing against like Temeka Johnson, Roneeka and Doneeka Hodges, and DeTrina White, we all kind of grew up together and just to be able to have that opportunity to play with them for four years was a great feeling to me. To come here and able to make my hometown proud, to be able to make this state proud, to be able to make my family proud was also a big point. Once I got here, the way everything blew up, I just didn't expect it. I just wanted to come here, make a positive impact, and take a program that was on the brink of elite status and help them become one of the top teams in the country as far as basketball is concerned. It blew up way further than I expected. The Final Four appearances, the SEC Tournament titles, the SEC regular season titles, and just to be able to have that rivalry with Tennessee, that was the biggest things for us, to beat the Lady Vols. It's so many things. I don't think I could single out one experience as being over the others. That first Final Four was the biggest because it started the momentum for us to continue to reach many more Final Fours, but my experience here was a great one. It was a great ride."

On what her emotions will be during the ceremony...
"I really don't know. I'm trying to hold myself together right now just thinking about it. Just to know that you've done so much for a community and for your state, and that it's being paid back with the highest regards, to have your jersey hung, it means a lot. Just to think about it, it makes you want to cry. A lot of my supporters have been calling and want tickets to the game. They're going to be there. I'm more excited for them because they put forth a lot of effort to help me from when I was five years old to right now, just to help me get through college and giving me motivation and being my backbone and being my supporters."

To see the video of the press conference as well as the entire transcript go to: http://bit.ly/6m0xpJ

 

 

Filed under  //  Media   Seimone Augustus  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Seimone's Greatest Moment #3: The Charge

Media_http2bpblogspot_yecfb
Seimone Augustus is the greatest player to ever don an LSU Lady Tiger basketball jersey, and this Sunday she will become the first female student-athlete in LSU history to have her jersey retired when LSU hosts No. 4 Tennessee at 5 p.m. CST on ESPNU. The jersey retirement takes place at 4:30 p.m. Seimone Augustus' career was filled with brilliant moments in her four years. Defining which lasting images rank at the top is no easy chore, but this week on LSUsports.net, we will do our best to remember some of those great moments.

Our panel of LSU associate head coach Bob Starkey, women's basketball SID Bill Martin, senior associate sports information director Kent Lowe, radio announcer Patrick Wright and former LSU women's basketball SID Brian Miller, who covered Augustus' four years, has selected a top five.

The top five moments will be unveiled throughout the week leading up to Sunday's 4:30 p.m. jersey retirement.

Today, we take a look at No. 3.

On March 27, 2006, with a third straight trip to the NCAA Final Four on the line, Seimone Augustus took it upon herself to provide the LSU Lady Tigers with one of the program's most defining defensive plays.

LSU was leading Stanford 60-59. Off an LSU turnover, the Cardinal took over with 11.5 seconds remaining in the game. Augustus then drew a charging foul with 4.8 seconds left and followed that with two free throws with 4.6 seconds remaining to send LSU to its third straight Final Four by a score of 62-59.

Stanford's Candice Wiggins dribbled past LSU's Scholanda Hoston to the elbow, where her progress was bombarded by Augustus as she passed to a wide-open Krista Rappahahn. The sharp-shooting Rappahahn buried a three-pointer, but the official blew the whistle for a charge long before.

"It's just about taking risks," Augustus said. "We had just discussed shooters and not letting them get open, and I saw the opportunity. I saw Candice (Wiggins), she was kind of out-of-control for a minute and I saw an opportunity to take a charge."

"I knew it was coming, we make that same play all the time," Wiggins said in the postgame press conference. "I was just a second too late, you know and the pass was there. I knew it was coming though, I just couldn't get there in time."

Augustus, who added to her legacy, scored 12 of LSU's final 15 points in the last 7:31 to single-handedly carry the Lady Tigers past the fading Cardinal down the stretch.

The senior finished with a game-high 26 points on 11-of-21 shooting, blocking a career-best three shots, grabbing four rebounds and adding two steals. The Baton Rouge native took home a large trophy and the San Antonio Regional's Most Outstanding Player honor. LSU would go on to face Duke in the NCAA Final Four in Boston.

Read the entire article: http://bit.ly/8J1Ern

Filed under  //  Seimone Augustus  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Seimone's Greatest Moment #4: Scaling Rocky Top

Media_http4bpblogspot_jqewq
Seimone Augustus is the greatest player to ever don an LSU Lady Tiger basketball jersey, and this Sunday she will become the first female student-athlete in LSU history to have her jersey retired when LSU hosts No. 4 Tennessee at 5 p.m. CST on ESPNU. The jersey retirement takes place at 4:30 p.m. Seimone Augustus' career was filled with brilliant moments in her four years. Defining which lasting images rank at the top is no easy chore, but this week on LSUsports.net, we will do our best to remember some of those great moments.

Our panel of LSU associate head coach Bob Starkey, women's basketball SID Bill Martin, senior associate sports information director Kent Lowe, radio announcer Patrick Wright and former LSU women's basketball SID Brian Miller, who covered Augustus' four years, has selected a top five.

The top five moments will be unveiled throughout the week leading up to Sunday's 4:30 p.m. jersey retirement.

Today, we take a look at No. 4.

LSU was previously 0-16 in Knoxville and the Tennessee Lady Vols had won 64 consecutive Southeastern Conference home games in the hostile confines of Thompson-Boling arena. Third-ranked LSU was looking to extend its SEC winning streak to 23 games. Pat Summitt and the Lady Vols were 21-2 and 7-1 in conference play as the top-five matchup would be shown to a national television audience on ESPN2.

An energized crowd of 18,850 were stunned as Seimone Augustus made her final appearance in the arena a memorable one with a game-high 32 points to lead the Lady Tigers to a 72-69 victory that ended Tennessee's 10-year SEC home winning streak.

The emotions of the 40-minute battle wore on the players faces.

"Florence Williams was in the back, dramatic tears flowing down her face," Augustus said. "That made me feel good inside. A lot of players came up to the seniors and said 'thank you.' We looked right back at them and said 'thank you.' It was thank you right back to them for going out and working and emotionally competing and just keeping us throughout the game."

Read the entire article: http://bit.ly/6ZYkfV

Filed under  //  Seimone Augustus  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Seimone's Greatest Moment No. 5: Wade Trophy

Media_http3bpblogspot_mybhd
Seimone Augustus is the greatest player to ever don an LSU Lady Tiger basketball jersey, and this Sunday she will become the first female student-athlete in LSU history to have her jersey retired when LSU hosts No. 4 Tennessee at 5 p.m. CST on ESPNU.

Seimone Augustus' career was filled with brilliant moments in her four years. Defining which lasting images rank at the top is no easy chore, but this week on LSUsports.net, we will do our best to remember some of those great moments. Our panel of LSU associate head coach Bob Starkey, women's basketball SID Bill Martin, senior associate sports information director Kent Lowe, radio announcer Patrick Wright and former LSU women's basketball SID Brian Miller, who covered Augustus' four years, has selected a top five.

The top five moments will be unveiled throughout the week leading up to Sunday's 4:30 p.m. jersey retirement.

Today, we start with No. 5.

Augustus left LSU as the most decorated female athlete in school history. A two-time National Player of the Year selection and the only three-time State Farm All-American in school history, the Baton Rouge native's most prestigious honor might have occurred on April 1, 2005. The State Farm Wade Trophy has long been associated as the "Heisman Trophy" of women's college basketball since its inception in 1978.

LSU had never boasted such an award in program history, until Augustus' junior season of 2004-05. With the Lady Tiger team and staff on hand prior to the 2005 Final Four in Indianapolis, Augustus was announced as the 2004-05 State Farm Wade Trophy recipient at the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's National Convention.

Prior to the announcement, Augustus had no idea she would claim the award. She joined a prestigious list of women's basketball greats that included Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and Alana Beard. LSU finished that season with a 33-3 overall record, a perfect 14-0 mark in Southeastern Conference play and a second straight trip to the Final Four thanks to the play of Augustus.

"It is very overwhelming," Augustus said about receiving the Wade Trophy. "It was a surprise because of the other players up there with me. It was tough to think that I would be the player of the year."

The nine other Kodak/WBCA All-Americans, Jacqueline Batteast of Notre Dame, Monique Currie of Duke, Ohio State's Jessica Davenport, TCU's Sandora Irvin, Minnesota's Janel McCarville, Kansas State's Kendra Wecker, Mississippi State's Tan White, Stanford's Candice Wiggins and Sophia Young of Baylor, were finalists for the Wade Trophy.

Augustus went on to claim the Naismith Trophy, the John R. Wooden Award and the Honda Award. However, after 30 seasons of women's basketball at LSU, the Lady Tigers had finally produced a Wade Trophy winner. Augustus would repeat the honor a season later as a senior to cap her career as the greatest player in school history.

Filed under  //  Seimone Augustus  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Hightower is leaving her mark

Media_http4bpblogspot_ghecv
Nice article on Allison Hightower from the Daily Comet written by Dave Moorman:

It has been Allison Hightower’s misfortune to have followed in the footsteps of Seimone Augustus and Sylvia Fowles.

It’s hard enough following one legend. Look how difficult it was for former LSU men’s basketball coach John Brady to escape the specter of predecessor Dale Brown. Brady never really could do it, and he lost his job trying.

But having to succeed two legends?

Really, now, Hightower deserves better than that. Worse yet, Hightower plays guard, as did Augustus, who recently had her jersey retired by LSU, made the Sports Illustrated Women’s Basketball All-Decade Team, as announced by SI.com, and earned Female Athlete of the Decade accolades from the Times-Picayune of New Orleans.

Throw in the past, and present, accomplishments of the 6-foot-6 Fowles, and the 5-11 Hightower certainly has public relations-image issues.

Then again, LSU women’s basketball coach Van Chancellor is quick to laud Hightower, and when Chancellor speaks, people take notice. Chancellor is only one coach removed from the legendary Sue Gunter, who was so instrumental in building both women’s basketball, in general, and the LSU program, in particular.

Chancellor, though, is a major force in his own right, and he wants to make sure that Hightower gets her just do.

“There’s no doubt in my mind she’s one of the best players in the country,” Chancellor said. “She brings so much to the table and is a leader on and off of the floor for the Lady Tigers. Her work ethic and attitude have been outstanding her entire career. She’s the face of our team.”

Just as Augustus and Fowles were WNBA first-round draft picks after their highly successful LSU careers, Hightower will be an early selection, as well.

“She can easily be a first-team member of the Big East because of the way she plays,” said Angel McCoughtry, who was a No. 1 draft pick out of Louisville after last season. “She’s first team anywhere. She’s an all-around great basketball player by the way she plays.”

The professional ranks can wait, though. For the time being, Hightower continually proves why she is one of the best women’s college basketball players in America.

She’s won Southeastern Conference Player of the Week honors twice this season and is only one of two SEC players named to the midseason top 21 list for the John R. Wooden Award that the Los Angeles Athletic Club gives to the National Player of the Year.

She already was named preseason All-American and SEC Player of the Year and to the Wade Trophy watch list for national player of the year according to Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.

“There’s no one in our league like her,” Wisconsin-Green Bay coach Matt Bollant said last season after his Horizon League team fell to LSU in an NCAA Tournament first-round game. “She’s special.”

That she is. Through 15 games, with all but two ending in victory, Hightower ranked fifth in the SEC with a 16.3 scoring average.

She was third in steals with average of 2.6 per game and led LSU with 15 3-pointers.

With seven regular-season games left in her career, she still has a chance to dazzle those who haven’t yet been privy to her slashing moves and deft touch.

Hightower and the Lady Tigers begin a three-game home stretch with South Carolina on Thursday and continue it with what is sure to be a highly charged game against Tennessee next Sunday.

Hightower is certain to make her presence felt whether it’s through scoring, hustling, leadership or a combination of all that and more. She means every bit as much to the Lady Tigers as Augustus and Fowles ever did.

At long last, Hightower is getting the recognition she so richly deserves.

Dave Moormann has covered LSU since 1980 and lives in Denham Springs just outside of Baton Rouge.

Just as Augustus and Fowles were WNBA first-round draft picks after their highly successful LSU careers, Hightower will be an early selection, as well.

“She can easily be a first-team member of the Big East because of the way she plays,” said Angel McCoughtry, who was a No. 1 draft pick out of Louisville after last season. “She’s first team anywhere. She’s an all-around great basketball player by the way she plays.”


Read the entire article: http://bit.ly/62QV5B

Filed under  //  Media  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Jasmine Enjoying Her Family During LSU Tenure

Media_http4bpblogspot_cmrbg
JASMINE NELSON (1-16-10):

Having my family close to while being in college is a wonderful thing. I'm really excited to play in from them this year. There always reading articles and heard through the grape vine that i was doing good, now they get a chance to see me. My mother is very close while living in Baton Rouge, where my father is located in Denver, Colorado and i wish he could be at more of the games...But when he can he travels to come see me play and i get over excited.

 

Filed under  //  Off the Court   Player's Post  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Chartering The Airways - The Lady Tiger Way!

Media_http1bpblogspot_gawde
KATHERINE GRAHAM (1-15-10):
One of the perks of playing basketball at LSU is the charter flights. If you have never been on a charter flight it is an experience that will spoil you. Unlike commercial flights there is NO hassle. We dont have to arrive at the airport 2 hours early to check in, only to find out that your name has been placed on the "no fly list," which takes another hour to sort out. Nor do you have to worry about who you will be sitting next to, because you know it will be a teammate. Another benefit of a charter flight is as soon as the game is over we can leave wherever we are and head back to Baton Rouge no matter what time it is. Whereas on a commercial we have to spend the night and leave early the next morning. I have became very appreciative of the chartered planes. Until next time Lady Tiger Fans!

 

Filed under  //  Off the Court   Player's Post  
Posted by Bill Martin