How the LSU Tigers are growing the sport of women’s basketball

The NCAA Championship Game run of the LSU Tigers is excellent for the growth of women’s basketball. I can attest to such because I’m now hooked on the sport.

Following the LSU Tigers women’s basketball season is nothing short of fantastic. From their dominant wins to the nail-biters, reacting to the team’s performances for Death Valley Voice is a treat. Moreover, like many fans, I am now heavily invested in several players on the LSU Tigers roster. It’s an emotional investment felt during college football seasons, a dynamic that carries over to the players’ professional careers.

Suffice to say, the LSU Tigers and their NCAA Tournament run are growing the sport of women’s basketball.

I’ll admit to paying little attention to women’s college and professional basketball before the current LSU Tigers season. But, like many things in life, a fascination, allegiance, or hobby requires an emotional connection. I found such a connection while watching and writing about the 2022-23 LSU women’s basketball season.

As a result, I now find myself wondering:

• Where does Alexis Morris land in the next WNBA Draft?
• Is Angel Reese destined for women’s basketball GOAT status?
• How good will Flau’Jae Johnson be in her sophomore season?

Also, I’m interested in the futures of many LSU Tigers’ opponents. For example, Virginia Tech’s Elizabeth Kitley was ‘as advertised’ against LSU in the Final Four. One has to imagine the 6-6 center is topping WNBA draft boards. Or, what’s in Aliyah Boston’s future after her phenomenal career at South Carolina? How about Iowa’s Caitlin Clark? Does the record-setting guard remain with the Hawkeyes following the NCAA Tournament Championship Game or declare for the WNBA draft?

I’m not the only fan with such curiosities that demonstrate women’s basketball growth. The sport grows with every fan that comes away wanting to know more.

Skip Bayless recently stated that he was more excited to see the women’s Final Four play out than the men’s. Cue the ‘worst person you know just made a great point’ meme. Either way, I could not agree more. The women’s NCAA Tournament remains captivating. But, of course, the LSU Tigers have much to do with it.

It is easy to fall in love with a team when they embody every aspect you value in a person or organization. The current LSU Tigers women’s basketball team epitomizes my values.

I’m talking about the team’s demonstrated resilience after entering the 4th quarter of their Final Four game down by nine points. I like Morris’s repetitive gritty, refuse-to-lose performances and Kim Mulkey’s swagger and aura of greatness. There’s also Reese continuously proving there is no moment too big for her. Ultimately, the LSU Tigers are everything that I love to love in a team.

I cannot wait to watch the Tigers hit the floor again as a unit and play for a championship. And regardless of the outcome, I look forward to following their careers like that of LSU football alums.

This is part where I cue up the ESPN app and add the WNBA to my list of leagues to follow. I suggest all fans do the same because we will see several of the 2022-23 LSU Tigers play professional basketball in the near future.