It was a fitting progression for LSU senior point guard Khayla Pointer.
A year after being named to the All-Southeastern Conference second team, Pointer was one of nine players named All-SEC first-team by league coaches Tuesday. Also, the Marietta, Ga. native was chosen to the league’s five-member All-Defensive team for the second straight year.
Pointer led LSU in almost every statistical category and ranked among the top 20 in 11 of the league’s top statistical categories.
“She’s carried the load, she’s carried the team,” LSU women’s basketball coach Nikki Fargas said during a recent edition of Inside LSU Basketball. “She has always shown that she can be a great follower. She’s played with Raigyne Moncrief, Ayana Mitchell and Chloe Jackson. She played with some real good players and she followed their lead.
“Now she’s come into her own. That’s what you want. You want legacies to be left and you kind of want the culture continue year after year, class after class, and that’s what she’s doing right now. When she leaves and it’s time for her to move on to that next level, players will be talking about Khayla Pointer. Her teammates will be talking about Khayla Pointer. Obviously, the record books will be talking about her, too.”
Pointer becomes the 25th player in LSU history to receive the honor of first-team All-SEC, which has been bestowed a total of 44 times, the last by Mitchell in 2019.
Pointer, who leads LSU into Thursday’s SEC tournament vs. Mississippi State at 10 a.m., has increased her scoring average this season to a career-best 16.6 points. She’s either led or has been tied for game-high scoring honors in 14 of 20 games, including a season-high 29 points against Florida.
She also leads the Tigers in minutes played (36.5), (assists (4.2) and steals (48) and has scored in double figures 18 times and had a double-double (18 points, 12 assists) in an overtime win Jan. 4 at Ole Miss.
Kentucky’s Rhyne Howard was selected as the league’s Player of the Year for the second straight season, while Georgia’s Joni Taylor is Coach of the Year.
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