Aneesah Morrow is the defensive piece the Tigers need this season

Aneesah Morrow was an absolute stud at DePaul University. In her freshman year, the No. 2 transfer in the 2023 class averaged 21.9 points, 13.8 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game. She followed that up with an even better sophomore campaign, scoring 25.7 PPG, hauling in 12.2 RPG and totaling 2.9 SPG.

After her two seasons at DePaul where the team made one NCAA Tournament appearance and lost in the First Four, Morrow decided it was time for her to take the next step in her development. After the 2022 season, Morrow entered her name into the transfer portal, and in March, Morrow committed to Kim Mulkey's LSU squad.

One of the biggest attributes Mulkey looks for in a player is their defensive ability. Morrow has been one of the best defensive player in the nation since stepping foot on DePaul's campus, so she was the perfect fit for Mulkey.

In her first four games in the purple and gold, Morrow's had her share of offensive struggles. Right out of the gate, Morrow scored just six points on 2-of-9 shooting in her LSU debut. Since then, she's begun to figure things out, scoring 16, 14 and 17 in the last three games.

While she's not scoring her 25 PPG that we saw last season, Morrow has been a defensive anchor for this Tigers team. In four games, Morrow has blocked six shots and has recorded 13 steals.

Against Kent State, Morrow had the defensive performance of a lifetime. She finished the game with nine steals, which is the third most steals in a single game by an LSU WBB player, and stuffed two shots. Not only did she fill up the stat sheet, she provided the defensive spark the Tigers needed down the stretch.

"Everyone gets excited when you guard people who are lighting you up. We put her on 14 and she really took her three's out of the game. It wasn't just contesting and making her miss, she was getting her hands on those 50-50 balls. She just gave us a fire on the defensive end. I really enjoyed watching the third and fourth quarter. I enjoyed the excitement and joy they played with, I enjoyed the effort they gave."

Kim Mulkey

Morrow usually plays the four spot on the floor, but she's a little smaller than most power forwards in college basketball. Standing at 6'1, Morrow has to give her all on the defensive end of the court to make up for her smaller stature, and while that might be hard for some undersized bigs, she's able to use her size both under the rim and outside on the perimeter.

"I'm very active on defense, and coming here to LSU, it was a goal for me to do better defensively. Just knowing that I'm undersized in the post and trying to play on the three. I'm just capitalizing and being versatile on the floor."

Aneesah Morrow

Morrow has been in and out of the starting lineup all season, but she has seen her minutes increase every game. There's no doubt in my mind that Mulkey is going to continue to ramp up her star forward's production moving forward, and on a team that has had their share of defensive struggles, Morrow can provide a steady defensive presence when she's on the floor.