Seimone Addresses Media About Jersey Retirement

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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

 

 

Posted by Bill Martin