Has LSU Found Angel Reese’s Replacement? Everything You Need to Know about 18 YO Mjracle Sheppard

After announcing some early picks for her new roster, Kim Muley had shushed down on the commitment front. Looks like she is back in the game. Weeks following the NCAA championship game saw various coaches attending high-school senior nights and other competitions to find their perfect fits. And after some good decisions, Mulkey has landed LSU’s new face in Mjracle Sheppard. But will she stand out as tough as her bill says and replace the SEC DPOY Angel Reese?

The Tigers announced Sheppard to be their next pick from the transfer portal on Wednesday evening. The 5-ft-10 guard comes from Mississippi State after just one season with the team. As a freshman Bulldog, coming from one of the top high schools, Montverde Academy, Sheppard brought some success.

She averaged 5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.4 steals across the board. However, her best performance came against Kennesaw State. Here, she brought out her defensive side with a career-high 7 steals. Apart from this, she has had more than six games with 3+ steals. The entire display also brought her the honor of the SEC Co-Freshman of the Week award late in January.

Undeniably, her skill to force turnovers can be incredibly useful to the Tigers as they plan to visit the Final Four and beyond again in the next season. She is also capable of being useful in the frontcourt. Unlike Reese, who brought double-digits averaging 18.6 ppg, Sheppard only adds 5 points thus far. However, working under a coach like Mulkey, she can definitely raise her game further. Especially, given the fact that she has contributed a career-high of 14 points against Jacksonville in MSU.

Clearly, her numbers suggest that she can give LSU the same defensive advantage as the Bayou Barbie did. Even though instead of rebounds, it will be more about steals. Nevertheless, seems like the Tigers are quite content with their ever-growing defensively solid team.

Mjracle Sheppard x LSU family

The Bellevue native seems to have all the right ingredients to grab the attention of a coach like Mulkey. At the same time, the head coach was quite sure of who she needed to upgrade her roster. Talking about her latest recruits, the Tigers head coach said, “We could not be more excited to add Shayeann, Kailyn, and Mjracle to the LSU family. The three of them will add a combination of experience and depth on the perimeter for us and will bolster our roster to continue to compete at an elite level.”

Surely, with four guards, including Last-Tear Poa, the Tigers will have enough ball handlers and playmakers on the court at any given time. This will also ensure that their wings, Mikaylah Williams, Flau’jae Johnson, and Aneesah Morrow, will have more versatility, being the leading scorers of the team. It will be interesting to see how the new faces of LSU turn the tide in their favor for another Championship title in 2025.