Aneesah Morrow

WNBA Announces Warriors-Owned Bay Area Expansion Team

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The WNBA will expand to 13 teams in 2025 when a new franchise operated by the Golden State Warriors will join the league. It’s the first time that the WNBA has expanded since 2008. However, at this time, there appears to be no plan to add an Eastern Conference franchise to keep the league at an even number of teams. Warriors chairman Joe Lacob, who once owned a franchise in the rival ABL, said the “full force” of the Warriors would be behind the as-yet-unnamed team. Lacob said the team will likely be referred to as “Golden State” but discussions would be had on whether the team would also use the “Warriors” moniker.

“We’re coming in here, number one, to win. Number two, we want to see this league and women’s basketball grow, and we hope to be a big part of it. We think it’s a watershed event for us to come in and commit to it in a big way. We’re going to bring all of our resources. We can put this machine to work, and we’re going to do that,” Lacob told ESPN.

Read More: Angel Reese “Insulted” By ESPN’s WNBA Mock Draft

Warriors Join Race For Aneesah Morrow

With Golden State joining the league in 2025, it sets up a fascinating possibility of the brand-new franchise getting one of the best college prospects in its first year in the league. Like most other American pro leagues, the Warriors will have an expansion draft where they will build their roster from a pool of players already on WNBA rosters. Furthermore, they will also likely be placed into the WNBA draft lottery. During the last expansion in 2008, the Dream ended up with the fourth overall pick, although they later traded it away.

That means the new franchise would be in the running for the consensus #1 pick of 2025 – Aneesah Morrow. Morrow is one of the best players in the nation as she enters her junior year. Barely getting attention out of high school, the Chicago-born player chose to attend nearby DePaul. There she was the heart of the Blue Demons team on both sides of the court. Averaging 23.5 points and 13.0 rebounds a game, Morrow played elite basketball despite rarely finding herself with anything less than a double team on her. She will play her final two years at LSU after joining the Tigers during the offseason.

Read More: Caitlin Clark Still Undecided About Declaring For WNBA Draft

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Aneesah Morrow Completes LSU Superteam

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Hailey Van Lith and Aneesah Morrow were the two most sought-after players in the women’s basketball transfer portal. Van Lith was an experienced three-year starter at Louisville. She had never fallen short of the Elite Eight come March and finished her junior year as a career 42.2% shooter. She shouldn’t have been available but made the shock decision to graduate early from Louisville and play one more year as a graduate transfer.

Morrow is one of the best players in the nation, despite only being a sophomore. Barely getting attention out of high school, the Chicago-born player chose to attend nearby DePaul. There has been the heart of the Blue Demons team on both sides of the court. Averaging 23.5 points and 13.0 rebounds a game, Morrow played elite basketball despite rarely finding herself with anything less than a double team on her. Now both she and Van Lith will join Angel Reese at LSU next season.

Aneesah Morrow Commits to LSU

Morrow had narrowed her transfer choices to three schools – LSU, South Carolina, and USC. She has relished the spotlight, taking every opportunity to hype her personal brand and transfer decision. But on May 5, she finally revealed where she was headed next. “New Home” Morrow wrote on Twitter, followed by a gold and purple heart. Morrow had been stood at a crossroads and decided to venture south to Baton Rogue. She joins Van Lith on the reigning National Champions after Van Lith committed on April 27.

LSU now stand as far and away the best roster in women’s basketball heading into the 2023-24 season. The addition of Van Lith raised them above UConn to the #1 spot on ESPN‘s “Way Too Early Top 25”. With Morrow joining the Tigers too, that ranking is unarguable now. Alongside Reese, Van Lith, Morrow, Kim Mulkey’s squad is stacked. Alongside sophomore-to-be Flau’jae Johnson, LSU welcomes two top-10 freshman to Baton Rogue in the fall. With South Carolina rebuilding after the loss of their generational class, this may be the year LSU wins the SEC. LSU last won the SEC regular-season championship in 2008 but have not claimed the tournament title since 2003.

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Aneesah Morrow Flexs LSU Fit During Official Visit

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Aneesah Morrow is living her best life right now. The DePaul sophomore is the hottest uncommitted commodity in the women’s basketball transfer portal. Last weekend, she narrowed her choice down to three schools. One road takes her west to former women’s basketball titan USC. Another leads her to 2021 National Champions South Carolina. Finally, she could head south to the reigning National Champions LSU. However, it’s all about that power five and basketball royalty for Morrow, whatever path she takes.

In two collegiate seasons, Morrow is averaging 23.5 points per game and 13 rebounds per game. Furthermore, a majority of those rebounds come on defense as the 6’1 forward guards the paint like few others. She was fourth in scoring and seventh in rebounds last season. DePaul has ran their women’s basketball program through Morrow the past two years. All three choices have pros and cons. Earlier in the week, Morrow showed off her style in the red and gold of USC. Now she’s pulling headlines by visiting Baton Rogue.

Morrow Hypes Up Official LSU Visit

April 28 saw Aneesah Morrow officially visit LSU. It was a much-hyped, and much-documented visit. Morrow did TikToks with Angel Reese and took selfies with Flau’jae Johnson. Finally, the visit was capped off by Morrow dropping a video of herself in an LSU uniform with the caption “LSU fans where y’all at?” Safe to say that they showed out in force in the comments. We have to say, Morrow is looking good in the white and purple.

LSU is preparing to run the board in the 2023/24 season. ESPN‘s Charlie Creme ranked the team as the #2 overall team in March Madness 2024. However, that bracket was made before standout Louisville transfer Hailey Van Lith committed to the Tigers. Even without Morrow, LSU boasts Reese, van Lith, Johnson, #2 ranked freshman Mikaylah Williams and #7 ranked freshman Aalyah Del Rosario. Morrow would just be the cherry on the cake for Kim Mulkey’s program. She also brings a strong defensive presence to an offense-heavy team. Are you hyped about LSU’s lineup next season? Do you think Aneesah Morrow will join them? Get all your women’s basketball news here at HotNewHipHop.

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Angel Reese Might Lead A Superteam at LSU Next Season

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LSU took full advantage of the transfer portal ahead of the 2022-23 women’s basketball season. Veteran coach Kim Mulkey, who had joined ahead of the 2021-22 season, built herself an SEC contender that started the season 23-0. Eventually, despite not winning their conference, the team lifted the National Championship in a 102-85 victory over Iowa. That launched the players into the spotlight and made LSU the landing spot for talent.

Five of LSU’s players were transfers brought in by Mulkey. The best-known of this quintet is of course the team’s leading scorer, rebounder, and blocker Angel Reese. However, with multiple key players graduating, Mulkey might be headed back to the portal. And with the names linked to the program, she might be about to build a superteam around her star senior.

Aneesah Morrow Considering LSU

Earlier this week, Lousiville’s Hailey Van Lith officially visited LSU. Van Lith was a shock addition to the transfer portal, having started 101 games in three years for the Cardinals. If she were to commit, she would bring a mid-range shooting threat and deep tournament run experience to what is suddenly a very young team. Sure, all returning LSU players just won a Natty but Van Lith has made three consecutive Elite Eights. However, LSU doesn’t just seem content with ESPN‘s #1 player in the portal.

Aneesah Morrow is a bona fide superstar and ESPN’s #2 player in the portal. However, she was not heavily recruited out of high school and wound up staying close to home at DePaul. She immediately showed the rest of the country what they passed on. Named National Freshman of the Year in 2022, Morrow is a full-court threat. In two years of collegiate play, she’s averaging 23.5 points per game and 13 rebounds per game. Furthermore, a majority of those rebounds come on defense as the 6’1 forward guards the paint like a hawk. Additionally, with two years of eligibility left, she was incredibly sought after. On Friday, Morrow announced her three finalists via Twitter – USC, South Carolina, and LSU. If she were to pick the Tigers, they might as well be given the 2024 National Championship right now.

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