By MATT VINES, Written for the LSWA
There wasn’t any dissent on who the Women’s Basketball Player of the Year was going to be on the Louisiana Sportswriters Association All-Louisiana Team.
LSU forward Angel Reese garnered every possible vote to highlight another banner year for a Lady Tigers team that won 31 games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.
LSU forward Aneesah Morrow captured the Newcomer of the Year honor while guard Mikaylah Williams took home the Freshman of the Year award.
Reese, Morrow, Williams and Flau’Jae Johnson made up 80 percent of the five-player first team with ULM’s Daisha “Nunu” Bradford filling the other first-team spot as the third-highest vote getter overall.
Before being picked No. 7 by the Chicago Sky in the first round of the WNBA Draft, Reese posted 27 double doubles and tied the NCAA Tournament record with 10 straight double doubles. The First-Team All-American and SEC Player of the Year averaged 18.6 points and 13.4 rebounds per game to pair with 2.3 assists, 1.9 steals and one block per game.
Morrow wasn’t far behind Reese with 21 double doubles this season as the First-Team All-SEC forward averaged 16.4 points and 10 rebounds per game in her first season after transferring from DePaul. She added 93 steals (2.5 per game).
Williams, a former national No. 1 recruit from Parkway High School, lived up to the hype. The SEC Freshman of the Year averaged 14.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. The Bossier City native’s 493 points and 98 assists rank sixth all-time by LSU freshman and she set a freshman program record of 42 points against Kent State.
LSU Shreveport’s Kyle Blankenship picked up Coach of the Year honors after pulling double duty for the Pilots this season. The long-time men’s coach took over the women’s team two weeks before the regular season, leading the Lady Pilots to a 30-3 record, conference and tournament titles in the Red River Athletic Conference with a 22-0 mark, and the program’s first-ever NAIA Tournament win. He won a men’s NAIA Tournament game on the same day, leading the Pilots to the Sweet 16 and 24 wins.
Second-team members included Louisiana Christian’s Princis Goff (18.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2.5 steals), Loyola New Orleans’ Sandra Cannady (16.7 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 2.5 assists), Louisiana Tech’s Anna Larr Roberson (12.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, .501 FG), Southeastern Louisiana’s Hailey Giaratano (12.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3 assists), and New Orleans’ Dearica Pryor (14.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2 assists).
Six members qualified for the third team with a tie for the final all-state spot.
Third-team members include Tulane’s Kyren Whittington (17.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.5 steals), ULM’s Jakayla Johnson (15.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.8 assists), LSUS’s Destanee Roblow (12.1 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1 steal), Xavier’s Taylor Dewitt (12.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.3 steals), Southeastern Louisiana’s Jalencia Pierre (8.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.9 assists), and Grambling State’s Kahia Warmsley (10.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.6 assists).
The 2023-24 LSWA All-Louisiana Women’s Basketball teams were selected by a statewide vote of school sports information directors and media members.
Southern-Shreveport’s Allison Owens, a guard, was one of five honorable mention selections, a group that also included Jianna Morris of Louisiana Tech and Sharna Ayres from Northwestern State.
