A spread of pulled pork sandwiches, various snacks on the table, a scene of purple and gold and plenty of yelling at the TV highlighted Albuquerque (NM) Eldorado guard Bella Hines' Monday night.

One of the top prospects in the class of 2025, the 5-foot-10 guard from New Mexico wasn't watching the latest trending show from Netflix, she was watching her future Tigers fight for a berth in the Final Four huddled on the couch with her family cheering on LSU against No. 1 seed Iowa in the Elite Eight.

"My whole family sat in the living room, and we were all wearing our LSU gear that my dad got for us", Hines told Rivals.com, "It was a lot different being able to watch them play knowing that's my future school, it was super cool just being able to sit with my family and watch my future team."

While Monday night didn't go exactly as planned for Bella or the Lady Tigers, Hines delivered a bit of good news to the LSU faithful on Tuesday afternoon going public with her decision to commit to LSU, a decision she made on a weekend trip to Baton Rouge during the opening weekend of March Madness because she found her "second home."

"As soon as I got back to the hotel from the first day of my visit hanging out with the coaches and players I talked with my family, and they all said they could really see me playing here," Hines said on why she chose LSU. "The coaches all reflect my personality and it just felt like a second home to me. Having the confidence from my family knowing that I would be happy here really made the difference."

LSU's coaching staff was THE biggest factor in LSU landing the talented guard, but the fanfare and sights and sounds of LSU's campus helped seal the deal for one of 2025's elite playmakers.

"The biggest factor for me was the coaching staff," Hines said of why she chose LSU over other schools. "Especially coach [Kim] Mulkey, I know people don't portray her as this amazing person or whatever but after getting to know the real coach Mulkey that's the type of coach that I want to play for because she loves and cares for her players and she's such a great coach. Being able to see her coach in person was such a blessing."

Hines was on hand for LSU's opening NCAA Tournament win against Rice and one of her biggest takeaways was the environment for women's basketball inside the PMAC.

"My visit was great," Hines said of her visit to LSU. "Being able to go to one of the games during March Madness, that was a really good experience and being able to see their fan base and culture. I've never been to a gym like that where everyone there loves women's basketball and supports them."

"Even walking around the campus and just seeing how much praise they get from the fans and students walking around on campus was super cool," she added.

It wasn't just the basketball scene that had Hines excited about LSU, she got to take in a baseball game at Alex Box Stadium when LSU hosted Florida and was blown away by the atmosphere everywhere she went.

"Everybody there just loves LSU and it's such an LSU town, She said speaking on LSU's passionate fan base. "The whole culture [in Baton Rouge] and the people there were a big factor in my decision."

Hines picked LSU over other offers from Iowa, Baylor, Texas Tech, North Carolina State and West Virginia to name a few.

Hines primarily plays point guard for El Dorado High School, but the 5-foot-10 combo guard will likely see a slightly different role at the next level as she's expected to play more of a shooting guard role at LSU with the ability to be a secondary ball handler in the Tigers' offense. She's also got a little bit of edge or swag in her game which often comes out in film and if you've been watching LSU women's basketball, you know that'll fit right in with LSU's on the court tenacity.

Caitlin Clark is a name everyone in the women's game is talking about right now and that's someone Hines feels like she comps to pretty well when it comes to her playing style and skill set as the Iowa standout is someone she's emulated her game behind.

"I would definitely say Caitlin Clark" Hines said of her best player comp. "Just because of the way that she shoots her three-ball, that's how I started to play with the deep three, pull-up threes in transition. If you watch my film, you'll see a I don't shoot hugging the three-point line, I shoot from the logo or the volleyball line a lot like Caitlin Clark does."

Hines does have ball handling capability and she's a more than able defender that can play a three and D role to perfection, but she provides so much more than that. So look for her to play shooting guard for LSU, with the ability to be that secondary ball handler when needed.

"I expect to go in and be that knockdown shooter," she said of her role at the next level. "I know everyone says LSU needs a consistent three-point shooter and I feel like I slide into that role very well because of how well I shoot the three-ball."

Hines averaged 32.5 PPG and six rebounds and two assists per game during her junior season at Eldorado High School.

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