LSU rolls UIC in Aneesah Morrow’s homecoming

Quarter-sized snowflakes fell outside Credit Union 1 Arena Thursday night as throngs of fans dressed in purple and gold lined the corner of Racine and Harrison.

Within prepared no. 5 LSU to face 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 game 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 — in which she averaged 25.7 points and 12.2 rebounds — Morrow entered the transfer portal.

“Family is the biggest thing to me,” Morrow said. “But I knew at some point I had to grow up.”

For Morrow, “growing up” meant moving away from everything she knew for an opportunity to achieve more.

By then, Morrow had already 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 in her sophomore season and setting 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. It’s all great, but I feel like I’m missing something in my career.’ ”

That something Morrow lacked was an opportunity to experience March Madness.

She didn’t just want to taste 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 little different Thursday. It began with Simeon hosting a shirt retirement ceremony. Hours later, she was welcomed onto the field with a standing ovation as she was introduced to the starting line-up. She had over 40 friends and family in attendance.

As a sophomore at DePaul, Morrow said she wasn’t sure if she wanted to 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 that a career in the WNBA awaits her this spring. She is currently projected as a top-10 pick in several mock drafts.

Whether Sky would select her with no. The 10 pick has crossed everyone, but she’s unlikely to sink that low. Even if she does, getting picked by Sky isn’t a huge possibility at this point.
taking into account the team’s need for outside shooting.

Regardless, Morrow’s future is in the WNBA.

“I, like I said, want to be the best,” Morrow said. “I want to work hard to be the best I can be. Of course (that means) going to the W. I would be the first in my family to achieve that. The first from my high school and grade school. I always have in mind, because you have to remember your roots and where you come from.”