By KACE KIESCHNICK, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
The LSU women’s basketball team dominated its pre-season slate, winning games against North Texas-Dallas and Loyola (N.O.) by a combined 278-85, but coach Kim Mulkey said after Thursday night’s 119-54 win over Loyola that the best is yet to come.
“We will continue to get better,” she said in her postgame press conference. “I’m still waiting for that day when I leave practice upset at this bunch, and I haven’t yet. So, I don’t know if that’s good or bad. They really are easy to coach.”
Key to that growth will be the development of a pair of true freshmen – forward Anna Minaeva and guard/forward Lola Lampley.
Minaeva made her collegiate debut against Loyola. The 17-year-old former Russian pro was 3-of-4 from the floor, scored 10 points, grabbed five rebounds and recorded one steal in 17 minutes of action. She went to the free throw line five times but was just 4-of-10 from the charity stripe.
Mulkey recalled questioning the freshman about what went wrong from the line, “‘Anna, what’s up with those free throws?’ I said, ‘Is it conditioning?’ You got to love an innocent answer. She goes, ‘Just a little nervous.’ Okay, Anna. What do you say? You go, ‘That’s a 17-year-old response.’”
Minaeva worked through the nerves well in her debut and her comfort on the court will only grow as the season goes on. The 6-foot-5 post player is the Tigers’ longest rebounder and interior defender, but she is adjusting to the physicality of play here. The next step for her will come with improved conditioning and assertive play in the paint. Against Loyola, she made a consistent effort offensively to fight for position in the lane and make herself available to her teammates.
“She did fine except from the foul line,” Mulkey said. “I think she gave us a presence in there to pass her the ball. She’s got really good hands. She really wanted to pass it one time on the break there, and that’s when they all went crazy on the bench because she’s an unbelievable passer for a big. And I mean what I say, when you watch her play in practice every day she is like a baby (Nikola) Jokic. Her game is like that.”
The comparison to the three-time NBA MVP is lofty but one that Minaeva’s teammates and coach have made repeatedly. Jokic’s game is defined by his imposing physicality in the paint, soft touch around the rim and incredible vision and anticipation as a passer from all areas of the court. Mulkey said Minaeva resembles not only his international upbringing but also the big-man’s footwork and basketball IQ.
“She’s extremely basketball smart,” Mulkey said. “She will ask questions, and she’ll put her hand up, ‘I have a question.’ And she’s going to ask it, and I like that. That tells you she’s in tune to what’s going on. She’s not tuning you out because there’s a language barrier. She understands.”
Lampley made her second appearance for the Tigers in their final exhibition. The five-star out of Lawrence Central in Indianapolis scored 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting. She was 2-of-6 on free throw attempts and recorded three rebounds and three steals in her nearly 21 minutes on the court. In LSU’s first preseason game, she had 13 points, one rebound and four turnovers.
The 6-foot-2 wing has converted to play on the inside, where more minutes are up for grabs. Mulkey said she likes her size and athleticism in the post.
“When you look at that young lady, you just go, ‘What a beautiful body for a basketball player.’ Great size, lean, her upside is tremendous,” Mulkey said. “She got in there and battled. She just needs to keep getting minutes. I was happy for her tonight.”
The freshman duo is poised to feature for the Tigers right away, and their minutes and impact should only increase as they navigate the opening games of their college careers.
LSU tips off the regular season on Monday in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center against Southeastern Louisiana at 6 p.m.
Be the first to comment