A new era is beginning for the LSU Lady Tigers after Angel Reese’s championship-winning run. With her gone, forward Aneesah Morrow is ready to step into a bigger role of keeping that defense intact for the Tigers. Going into her senior season, Morrow is turning out to be the best bet for LSU to drive up to another championship run this upcoming season. Her impact from last season has resonated well as Morrow, alongside her teammates Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams, made it to the Naismith Trophy preseason Watchlist.

Looking at her NIL, while her exact valuation is not known, Morrow ranks at no. 26 in the college women’s basketball NIL list. Her followers on social media have grown to over 84k while she has signed a handful of NIL deals off the court. Now, with Morrow steering LSU’s carriage, she is emerging as the most dependable and versatile player. So, let’s dive deeper and look at her athleticism and key attributes.

Meet Aneesah Morrow, LSU’s powerful forward

Morrow’s basketball journey began in Chicago, Illinois, when she attended the Simeon Career Academy. Born to athletic parents, Aneesah Morrow naturally imbibed qualities and skills as that of a prolific sportsperson.

Despite being a freshman, Morrow led the Wolverines to their first-ever public league title in 2018. She would make her presence felt with her recurring double-doubles. She recorded 31 points and 19 rebounds against Evanston.

Similarly, she had 32 points and 15 rebounds, 5 steals, and 5 blocks against Butler. Then again, she switched up her game to another level against Morgan Park as she scored 38 points and 25 rebounds. Also, she recorded 41 points and 13 rebounds against Maine South.

As a result, there is no greater evidence of Morrow’s athleticism as an elite scorer and defender. She ranked in the top 50 players by Prospects Nation. However, she was voted as the No.1 recruit in the state and No. 20 by Max Preps after she amassed over 1000 career points as a junior.

In her last season with the Wolverines, she averaged 28.4 points, 14.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and around 3 steals per game. With these outstanding figures, Morrow led Simeon to a 35-2 record and its first Class 3A state championship title in 2020. Hence, she was voted All-State First Team by the Associated Press, Champaign News-Gazette, and Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA). She was then ready to begin her college basketball journey.

Aneesah Morrow’s college basketball journey

DePaul

She tipped off her college basketball career playing for the DePaul Blue Demons in 2021. In her debut game, she made some big noise and scored 31 points and 9 rebounds against Texas Southern. In no time, she was voted as the Big East Freshman of the Week at the time.

Started all 33 games, and Morrow was averaging 30.4 minutes per game. She led the Blue Demons with her double-double average of 21.9 points, 13.8 rebounds besides 89 steals and 60 blocks. Without a doubt, Morrow had a great freshman season.

Her stat line was showcased as the leading figure across the nation. She ranked second in the country with 457 rebounds and 27 double-doubles along with the country’s best double-double streak of 23. Similarly, her impressive stats had placed her in the nation’s top 10 or top 5, for a better effect, to resonate with her prowess as a scorer.

With her elite scoring and stat-stuffing skills, Morrow was presented with Freshman of the Year honors in both the Big East Conference, WBCA, and USBWA. Moreover, she was unanimously selected to the All-Big East First Team and All-Freshman team.

In her sophomore season at DePaul, Aneesah Morrow grew into one of the top forwards in women’s basketball with an average of 25.7 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.6 steals, and 2 assists per game. She led the SEC in rebounds and steals. Also, she ranked at No. 3 for reaching 25 double-doubles in 33 games. Moreover, she set the program’s single-season record with 848 points and surpassed the previous record of 804 points set by Diana Vines in the 1988-89 season.

LSU

Entering the transfer portal, Morrow moved on to play her junior season at LSU. While she appeared in all 37 games, she played as a starter in 34 of them. As a junior, she averaged 16.4 points, and 10 rebounds with 21 double-doubles, with which she ranked No.5 in the nation. Apart from Angel Reese, Aneesah Morrow was the only other player in the nation to record 20+ double-doubles.

Featuring in the Cayman Islands Classic against Virginia and Niagara, Morrow put out a collective average of 32.5 points and 15.5 rebounds, a new season-high in scoring through those two games. Moreover, in her game against Niagara, she recorded her 14th career game when she scored 25+ points, 10+ rebounds, and 5+ steals.

By this point, it would sound cliched that Aneesah Morrow has elite scoring skills, however, she encountered an opportunity to be a better team player when she stepped up for the team when Sa’Myah Smith suffered a season-ending knee injury shortly after the Cayman Islands Classic tournament.

Continuing her major scoring, Morrow recorded 24 double-figure games, which included a stretch of 23 games while finishing the season with 9 consecutive double-figure games. Making it to her first NCAA Tournament, Morrow averaged 16.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.

Following the 2023-24 season, Morrow several accolades like All-America Honorable Mention by the Associated Press, USBCA, and WBCA, First Team All-SEC, and Cheryl Miller Award finalist.

Climbing up to the Elite 8 where LSU bit the dust by Iowa at 87-94 last season, Morrow has now set the bar much higher for the upcoming season.