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Angel Reese will forever be part of LSU women's basketball history. In leading the Tigers to the 2023 NCAA crown, she forever changed the game. That's not to say that Reese is the only legendary Tiger star. In fact, despite 2023 being their first NCAA title, there are many legendary LSU players.
How does Reese stack up? Her NCAA crown is an undeniable edge. On the other hand, Reese only played two seasons as a Tiger. How can she stack up against four-year legends?
Here are the top ten women's basketball players in LSU's illustrious history.
Top 10 LSU women's basketball players of all-time
10. Temeka Johnson, 2001-05
Johnson was the top passer in LSU history, racking up 945 assists. She scored 1,428 points, earned three-time All-SEC Tournament honors and was a WNBA standout. Johnson was a career 40% 3-point shooter but only took 60 3-point shots. She is still eighth on the all-time NCAA assist list.
9. Allison Hightower, 2006-10
A legendary defender, Hightower's 1,509 career points are almost beside the point. Hightower earned a pair of All-SEC Defensive Team selections and was the Sixth Woman of the Year in 2008. Hightower helped the Tigers reach a pair of Final Fours in her first two seasons.
8. Julie Gross, 1976-80
Gross was a standout in the pre-NCAA days of LSU basketball. She finished her Tiger career with 2,488 points and 1,466 rebounds. Gross and LSU reached the AIAW Final Four in her first season. A 6-foot-2 Austrlian native, Gross had a remarkable Louisiana State career.
7. Pokey Chatman, 1987-91
Chatman was a 5-foot-5 guard who is less remembered for her play than for coaching LSU to four Final Four appearances in the late 2000s. Chatman was 105-19 as a coach at Louisiana State. As a player, she had 1,826 points and 570 assists, as well as 346 steals. The SEC Tournament MVP in 1991, Chatman was a star as a player as well as during her coaching career.
6. Marie Ferdinand, 1997-2001
An outstanding guard, Ferdinand became one of the top-scoring threats in Tiger history. After scoring just 2.4 points per game as a freshman, she became a three-year starter and an AP All-American. Ferdinand finished her career with 1,648 points and 524 rebounds.
5. Cornelia Gayden, 1991-95
A 5-foot-9 scoring phenomenon, Gayden scored 19.1 ppg as a freshman and only improved from there. In four years at Louisiana State, she scored 2,451 points. Gayden also grabbed 894 rebounds despite her size. Gayden was an AP All-American in her senior season. Gayden never played in the NCAA Tournament, but it certainly wasn't her fault.
4. Joyce Walker, 1980-84
Walker bridged the years of the AIAW to NCAA basketball. She was an electric scorer, averaging 24.8 points per game for her career. Her 2,906 career points are technically an LSU record, but those first two seasons pre-date NCAA competition. A two-time All-American selection, the Harlem Globetrotters tabbed Walked to play with them for a time after her Tiger career. She was that good.
3. Angel Reese, 2022-24
Reese was already a decorated player when she transferred from Maryland after her sophomore year. In two seasons at LSU, Reese scored 1,443 points and grabbed 996 rebounds. Reese was a three-time AP All-American and the 2023-24 SEC Player of the Year. She led Louisiana State to the school's first NCAA title and has secured her place of immortality as a Tiger.
2. Sylvia Fowles, 2004-08
A three-time AP All-American, the 6-foot-6 Fowles is the best true center in Tiger history. Her 2,234 career points rank third in school history. Her 1,570 rebounds and 321 blocks are still the best in the Louisiana State record book. Fowles also reached the Final Four in all four seasons of her career. She's one of the few non-UConn players who can make that claim.
Fowles' No. 34 jersey was retired by the university in 2017, making her one of only two Tigers to have earned that tribute.
1. Seimone Augustus, 2002-06
Augustus, even more than Reese, is the player who put Louisiana State basketball on the map. A two-time Naismith Award winner and four-time AP All-American, Augustus' career is legendary. She scored 2,702 points and added 728 rebounds. After finishing ninth in the SEC in scoring as a freshman, she led the league in points in each of her last three seasons.
Meanwhile, the Tigers reached the Final Four in each of Augustus's last three years. Considering these were the first Final Four appearances in program history, it's hard to overstate how important Augustus was to Louisiana State. The Tigers retired her number 33 jersey in 2010. She is the queen of LSU basketball.
Had Reese played four years at LSU would she best Augustus? Or would a second title have been necessary to give her the edge?
