Triumphant Moments: Ballard’s Signature Game
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – With 5:05 left in the second half against West Virginia, the LSU Lady Tigers found themselves down seven and moments away from having their season ended. Then Danielle Ballard took over.
Ballard led the Lady Tigers’ comeback and tallied 22 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and two steals in a team-leading 38 minutes played. When the buzzer sounded in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, Danielle Ballard slammed the ball in jubilation. “What was going through my mind was we did it again. I was so excited…Playing in this game, we made it to the Sweet 16 again. It was just a joyful moment and it was just exciting,” said Ballard in the post-game presser.
Two days earlier, Ballard put up a team-leading 24 points and 17 rebounds against Georgia Tech. And that’s how LSU women’s basketball made its second-straight Sweet 16 in 2014.
Legacy at LSU: Ballard’s Enduring Influence
Early Thursday morning, Ballard, 29, was killed when she was struck by a car in her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. According to Memphis police, Danielle Ballard was hit at 1:26am and was later pronounced dead at a local area hospital.
Ballard starred at Central High School in Memphis before joining LSU for the 2012-13 season. She played three years in Baton Rouge and came to be one the most celebrated recruits and players during Nikki Fargas’ ten-year run as LSU’s head coach. In her three years on the team, Ballard averaged 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.4 steals. The Lady Tigers played in three NCAA Tournaments with Ballard; over the next six seasons after Ballard’s graduation, they only played in two.
Ballard quickly became the symbol of grit and determination that defined the LSU teams from that era, known for tenaciously defending out of its matchup zone. During her freshman season, Danielle Ballard broke the LSU single-season steals record…playing almost entirely a zone defense.
Out of high school, Ballard was rated the nation’s 25th ranked prospect.
Multifaceted Talent: Beyond the Court
On the court, Ballard was known for her lightning quick crossover and her ability to take over a game at a moment’s notice. Off the court, teammates and coaches remember Ballard for having a big heart and a magnetic energy; in addition to her basketball bonafides, Ballard was known locally as a celebrated rapper and a published author.