One of the biggest stories of the offseason was the transfer of MiLaysia Fulwiley. The Sixth Player of the Year in the SEC last season, Fulwiley finished second on South Carolina’s team with 11.7 points per game. She also finished 11th in the SEC in steals in her sophomore campaign.
Fulwiley figured to be a featured star on Dawn Staley’s upcoming team, but she chose to move on from one of the top programs in the nation. After all, Fulwiley played in two NCAA championship games at South Carolina. When she chose conference rival LSU, the intensity of that rivalry jumped off the scale. But here’s why Fulwiley may not fit in well at LSU.
5 reasons why MiLaysia Fulwiley may struggle at LSU
Her perimeter shooting is too inconsistent
One of the few facets of Fulwiley’s game that has held her back is an inconsistent perimeter shot. Fulwiley shot just 25.8% from 3-point range last season with the Gamecocks. Meanwhile, LSU was 291st in the NCAA last year in 3-pointers made per game at just 4.9 per game. LSU’s biggest weakness is also a weakness for Fulwiley.
LSU already was loaded at guard
With Mikaylah Williams and Flau’jae Johnson returning at guard, LSU has 35.9 points per game returning between those two players. But those two players also averaged 31.6 and 31.5 minutes per game. Meaning that if Fulwiley filled their missing minutes, that would be just under 17 minutes per game. There’s just not a vacancy in the LSU backcourt.
LSU doesn’t have a great track record with established transfer guards
Three words for people who assume that Fulwiley will automatically be a star: Hailey Van Lith. Van Lith came to LSU after three seasons at Louisville. Her shooting percentage dipped from over 42% at Louisville to under 38% at LSU. Her scoring dipped from 19.7 points per game at Louisville to 11.7 at LSU.
Van Lith was so miserable that she left LSU after one season… and then was an All-American at TCU in her final college season. So recent history says pump the brakes on hype for this move. Sure, Fulwiley could be a star– but she also could have a season at LSU like Van Lith’s season.
Chemistry matters
View this post on Instagram
On the South Carolina team, Fulwiley figured to be one of the two focal points of the team, along with sophomore Joyce Edwards. On the LSU team, everything built in the past will now be up for grabs. Chemistry is the great unknown in college basketball, and if LSU isn’t careful, trying to introduce a new element to a proven team could be a near-disaster.
For that matter, this is a fairly transfer-heavy LSU team anyway. While the portal is a fact of life in the modern game, it’s not a guarantee of chemistry success. The best players in basketball don’t always form the best team.
Even if Fulwiley works well, the SEC is brutal
Finally, there’s one irrefutable truth: even if everything goes well with Fulwiley, it’s not like LSU will waltz to the league title. South Carolina replaced Fulwiley with the nation’s leading scorer, Ta’Niya Latson. Texas made the Final Four a season ago. Tennessee has added an impressive freshman class and has plenty to prove.
Even if Fulwiley fits in well and Kim Mulkey’s team is as tough as expected, the SEC will be brutal. It’s not hard to imagine LSU clicking as a team, winning an impressive number of games, but still coming up short of the Final Four, much less an NCAA title.
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
