The LSU women’s basketball program was heavily involved in the All-SEC awards announced on Tuesday. The four players that made the list were Angel Reese, Flau’jae Johnson, Alexis Morris, and Sa’Myah Smith.
The awards go as follows:
Angel Reese: First-Team All-SEC, All-Defensive Team
Flau’jae Johnson: SEC Freshman of the Year, SEC All-Freshman Team
Alexis Morris: First-Team All-SEC
Sa’Myah Smith: SEC All-Freshman Team
Johnson became the fourth Tiger ever to become the SEC Freshman of the Year and the first since 2009 when LaSondra Barrett was honored.
In her first year in Baton Rouge, Reese has become the number one impact transfer in the country as she led the SEC in points with 23.7 and 16 rebounds per game. She has recorded a double-double in all but one game this season, including a 23-game streak, the longest in LSU history and the longest by an SEC player to begin a season. The 27 double-doubles are the most by a Tiger player since Sylvia Fowles.
Reese set a conference record with seven SEC Player of the Week honors, including the final two weeks of the regular season. Her five 20/20 games led the nation while there were 19 20/20 games in the program’s history.
Johnson before her freshman season came to LSU as the number 26 recruit. She made an impact right away as she scored 11.6 points and grabbed 5.9 rebounds per game.
Her talent was presented to all who witnessed her collegiate and SEC debut as she filled out the stat sheet in both games to help LSU win.
Morris continued to play like one of the best guards in the conference in her second season at LSU. Her 14.5 points and 4.2 assists per game were 13th and 5th best in the SEC as she ran Kim Mulkey’s offense effectively and efficiently.
Her best performance came in LSU’s only loss against South Carolina as she tried to make a comeback. Morris finished the game with 23 points and six boards as the Tigers fell to the Gamecocks 88-64.
The other All-Freshman on this year’s LSU squad is Sa’Myah Smith, who was one of three forwards in the rotation. Her averages for the season were 5.3 points and 4.5 assists but had 1.4 blocks, which was ninth in the SEC.
Smith arrived at LSU having won back-to-back Texas 6A State Championships at DeSoto High School. In her collegiate debut, Smith recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds (six being offensive) in LSU’s 125-50 win over Bellarmine.