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For two years, Theresa Plaisance wowed the Tri-parish community with her complex array of size, strength and touch around the basket.
Those moves, combined with a spot on the prestigious McDonald’s All-American team and a state championship ring landed the former Vandebilt Catholic standout a scholarship to extend her career at LSU.
Plaisance’s first year with the Lady Tigers didn’t quite go as she planned, as the team missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998 and she wasn’t one of the team’s regular rotation players.
But there’s a new coach in town and LSU is in the midst of a busy offseason as they attempt to tweak their program and again become one of the elite teams in the Southeastern Conference.
In the midst of that busy process, Plaisance sat down with TPT sports editor Casey Gisclair this week to discuss her thoughts on her new coach and to give a message to all of her fans back home as she readies herself for her sophomore season.
SportsNet: You’re just getting finished with your first season at LSU. Talk about having that first season under your belt and the experience that it was for you to get your feet wet as a college athlete.
Theresa Plaisance: To be honest, the first year was a little bit of a rough year for me. It was definitely a big learning experience for me. I got a lot out of my coaches and I got a lot out of my teammates. So pretty much what I’m trying to do right now is to use last year to help me be better next year, because I want next year to be a completely different story.
SN: You talked about how it was a little bit of a rough season for you in 2010-11. You obviously were never a reserve at Vandebilt. Was it difficult for you to watch your teammates play this past season?
TP: Yeah. It’s definitely different. Everyone on the team wants to be on the court, but with that being said, everyone on the team has a role, too. When you’re on the bench, it doesn’t matter who you are the same thing goes even if you’re a starter, but when you’re on the bench, your role is to give encouragement to your teammates who are on the court. I did my best to fulfill my role and do that all of last year. But obviously, I hope that I don’t have to do that role too much more during my time here, because I’d obviously rather be on the floor more, but that’s up to what my coaches ask of me and I understand that.
SN: Obviously you are in the offseason right now. What are some of the things you’re working on with your own game to try and earn more playing time next season?
TP: It’s going to be defense and rebounding on the court, but off the court, I’m doing a whole lot more conditioning and a lot more weight lifting.
SN: You talk about strength and conditioning. Were you shocked at how physical the SEC game is coming from high school?
TP: Well, I mean, no. That’s probably because I came here expecting the worst, so it wasn’t quite as brutal as I was imagining in my head. But you have to know I was imagining players having like black eyes every game and stuff like that, so yeah, I wasn’t surprised. But it’s definitely so, so physical. The physicality of it is just ridiculous. But I think it’s going to end up being a good thing, because it better prepares you for the next level.
SN: This past year was a rough one for LSU, missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998. How frustrating was it to see your team falter and have such an up-and-down season?
TP: It was certainly very tough. Road wins are very difficult for us and I don’t really know why, but it was just frustrating that we were always just a few points short. No matter what, we’d always just come up a hair short. We lost by like 2 points twice against Kentucky. The whole season was practically the same thing, 2 points here, 2 points there. It was very frustrating. But this year, we’re going to definitely work on finishing and that’s just going to be a big change for us, because at the end of the game when you need it the most, that’s when you need to push through. This year, I guess we crumbled under adversity a little bit, but next year, I think it will be a lot better.
SN: Despite the tough season, what was the highlight of your freshman year?
TP: It was probably the very beginning of the season when I got to play against No. 7 Ohio State. I was able to get some pretty good minutes in that game. And they were actually useful minutes, not just some minutes at the end of a game. I was able to score a few points in that game in some pretty important situations, so I’d say that was probably one of my highest moments from this past year.
SN: Aside from basketball, how’s LSU? How is college life treating you?
TP: It’s going great, but I definitely miss Coach Luke a lot. But other than that, I love school. Everything about LSU, I just love, the people, the classes, just everything about it, the pride the tradition. It’s just a great school. I couldn’t be happier being here. I really love college and I really love being here at LSU.
SN: When you return to the floor this season, you’re going to be returning with a new coach. What are your initial thoughts of Coach Nikki Caldwell?
TP: I love her. Her and her staff are absolutely amazing. We had a great time today. We did some bike riding and we just closer, I really feel like we got a lot closer to her today. Since she’s been here, we’ve had two really good gatherings, I guess you can say, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what next season brings.
SN: A lot of people here in the Houma area enjoy following you as you progress through your collegiate career. What would you like to say to the people of Houma?
TP: I just want people to know that I’m having a good time. School’s going good, my grades are going good and my teammates are just awesome. But I miss Houma so much. I wish we could go back more often. I’ve only gotten to go back down like twice, once to go see Coach Luke and a friend and another time to like go see my mom’s game or something. I definitely miss Houma so much. But I want people to know that I’m doing OK and I’m looking forward to making them all proud next season.
LSU forward and Tri-parish native Theresa Plaisance attempts a 3-pointer during a game last season. Plaisance said she’s ready to make an impact in her sophomore season, despite what she deemed a disappointing freshman season. STEVE FRANZ
