Defending champion LSU adds DePaul star Aneesah Morrow - ESPN

DePaul transfer Aneesah Morrow, who has established herself as one of the nation's premier offensive talents and rebounders, has committed to defending champion LSU, she told ESPN on Friday.

USC and South Carolina were the other finalists for the 2021-22 national freshman of the year.

«I'm never intimidated by playing against or playing on a team with amazing, talented players,» Morrow, a rising junior, told ESPN. «That's what I want to be surrounded around. I want to be around players who are going to make me better. I feel like we're going to challenge each other on a day-to-day basis. We all have the same end goal, and that's to win the national championship, to win the conference.»

Morrow's decision marks the second major transfer addition for LSU coach Kim Mulkey this offseason after leading the Tigers to the program's first national title in her second season in Baton Rouge. LSU loses three starters, but by adding Morrow and Hailey Van Lith — ESPN's top two transfers in the country — and ushering in the nation's top-ranked recruiting class, the Tigers have all but cemented themselves as the preseason No. 1 team in the country.

Morrow burst onto the scene as a freshman at DePaul — the Blue Demons' Wintrust Arena is about 15 minutes from her high school of Simeon. That year, the 6-foot-1 forward was a second-team All-American after averaging 21.9 points (on 51.9% shooting) and a nation-best 13.9 rebounds. As a sophomore she averaged 25.7 points (No. 4 in the country) and 12.2 rebounds (No. 7).

«I really enjoyed my time here at DePaul,» said Morrow, a two-time all-Big East first-team selection. «I learned so much here and in the city of Chicago.»

But, the Southside native said, «I feel like I was a butterfly in a