LSU rolls UIC in Aneesah Morrow's homecoming
Quarter-sized snowflakes fell outside of Credit Union 1 Arena on Thursday night as throngs of fans dressed in purple and gold stood on the corner of Racine and Harrison.
Inside, No. 5 LSU prepared to meet UIC. The game appeared to be nothing more than a tune-up for an LSU team poised to make another deep run in March. But for coach Kim Mulkey, it was a purposefully planned matchup to give another one of her seniors a chance to play at home.
Last year, she scheduled a game against Coppin State, giving NCAA champion and Sky rookie Angel Reese a true "home" game. On Thursday night, it was senior forward Aneesah Morrow's turn. She finished with 19 points and 133 rebounds in LSU's 91-73 win over UIC.
Morrow's last game in Chicago was nearly 22 months ago — against UConn, ranked No. 4 at the time — during her sophomore season at DePaul. A month after that season ended — during which she averaged 25.7 points and 12.2 rebounds — Morrow entered the transfer portal.
"Family is the biggest thing for me," Morrow said. "But I knew at some point in time I would have to grow up."
To Morrow, "growing up" meant moving away from everything she knew for an opportunity to accomplish more.
At that point, Morrow already had made a decent bit of history in a Blue Demons jersey. She broke DePaul's single-game scoring record, putting up 45 points against Northwestern her sophomore season and set the single-season scoring record with 848 points. She was a two-time AP All-American at DePaul and a two-time All-Big East first-team selection.
Still, she believed more opportunities awaited her beyond Chicago's city limits.
"The first thing you ask a player when they enter the portal is 'Why are you leaving?' " Mulkey said. "I'll never forget it. She said, 'I won all these awards. All of that is great but I feel like I'm missing something in my career.' "
That something Morrow was missing was an opportunity to experience March Madness.
She didn't just want a taste of it, either. Morrow wanted to be a contributor on a team with real championship aspirations. That's exactly what she did last year averaging a double-double with 16.4 points and 10 rebounds, helping LSU return to the Elite Eight where they were eliminated by Iowa. This year, her averages have improved to 18.2 points and 14.1 rebounds.
She currently leads the NCAA in total rebounds and rebounds per game.
Morrow's game day routine looked a bit different on Thursday. It began with Simeon hosting a jersey retirement ceremony. Hours later, she was welcomed to the court with a standing ovation as she was introduced in the starting lineup. She had over 40 friends and family in attendance.
As a sophomore at DePaul, Morrow said she wasn't sure if she'd play in the WNBA one day. Maybe it was her youth, or that she hadn't yet opened her mind to a future outside of Chicago. Her tune has since changed. Now, Morrow knows a career in the WNBA awaits her this spring. She's currently projected as a top-10 pick in several mock drafts.
Whether the Sky would draft her with the No. 10 pick has crossed everyone's mind, but it's unlikely that she'll fall that low. Even if she does, being selected by the Sky isn't a strong possibility at this point,
considering the team's need for outside shooting.
Regardless, Morrow's future is in the WNBA.
"I want to, like I said, be the best," Morrow said. "I want to work hard to be the best that I can be. Of course, [that means] going to the W. I would be the first in my family to accomplish that. The first from my high school and elementary school. I'm always keeping that in mind because you have to remember your roots and where you come from."