LSU’s Angel Reese was named the SEC Player of the Year while freshman phenom Mikaylah Williams was named SEC Freshman of the Year to lead five total Tigers to receive recognition.
Reese was also placed on the All-SEC First Team and SEC All-Defensive Team with Williams being on the All-Freshman Team for the Southeastern Conference. DePaul transfer Aneesah Morrow was also on the First Team with Reese while 2023’s Freshman of the Year Flau’jae Johnson was placed on the Second Team. Aalyah Del Rosario was also named to the All-Freshman team.
LSU is now the first team since South Carolina in 2015 to have both the Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. LSU is also the first program to produce back-to-back Freshman of the Year since Missouri in 2016 and 2017 (only 4th time in conference history). Reese is the third Tiger to be Player of the Year (Seimone Augustus ’05 and ’06, Sylvia Fowles ’08). Williams becomes the fifth LSU player to win Freshman of the Year (DeTrina White ’99. Seimone Augustus ’03, LaSondra Barnett ’09, Flau’Jae Johnson ’23).
Reese made the First Team for the second straight season after leading the conference in scoring and rebounding with 19.1 points per game and 13 rebounds per game. She became the first player since Vanderbilt’s Wendy Scholtens in 1989 and 1990 to lead the SEC in both stats in multiple seasons. Reese has 20 double-doubles on the year, including nine straight, to give her 54 at LSU, breaking the record of 34 last year. Against Auburn, Reese recorded 25 points and 20 rebounds, her seventh 20/20 game and sixth 25/20 game in her career. Reese leads the NCAA in offensive rebounds at 5.6 per game, 2nd in free throw attempts (214), and sixth in free throws made (156). She’s also made an impact on the defensive end with 1.8 steals per game and 0.9 blocks per game, both top-15 in the SEC.
Morrow had a stellar first year in Baton Rouge with 18 double-doubles (7th nationally). There have been 10 instances where both Reese and Morrow had double-doubles in the same game. Morrow is averaging 16.7 points and 10 rebounds per game with her best performance of 37 points and 16 rebounds coming during the Cayman Islands Classic against Virginia. Morrow has been a defensive star, averaging 2.7 steals per game, and has nine games with four or more steals (nine in one game).
A year after being named SEC Freshman of the Year, Johsnon has taken a step forward in 2024, scoring 14.5 points and 5 rebounds per game. She has been elite as a defender, guarding the top players on most opponents this season. She has four games of 20+ points and a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double at Southeastern Louisiana.
Williams was the top recruit in America out of high school in 2023 and quickly showed she belonged with 42 points in her fourth college game, the most by an LSU freshman in the NCAA era. The Shreveport native os averaging 14.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game with 1.7 assists a night. She has seven games this season with 20+ points.
Del Rosario has continually progressed throughout the season with increased minutes following the injury to Sa’Myah Smith. She is averaging 5.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in nearly 12 minutes a night.
Kim Mulkey’s squad will now prepare for the SEC Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina getting underway this week. The Tigers are the second seed of the tournament.
