By Dominic Scianna

Credit Union1 Arena was a buzz with 4,322 fans, a record crowd for a University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) women’s basketball game, to see the return of Chicago native Aneesah Morrow, former star at Simeon Career Academy.

Morrow, who transferred from DePaul University in 2023 to Louisiana State University (LSU), had the opportunity to play before a large contingent of family and friends one last time as a collegian, and that wish was made possible by LSU’s head coach Kim Mulkey.

Mulkey, a three-time national championship women’s college basketball coach (2005, 2012, and 2019) at both Baylor University and LSU, now heads up the fifth-ranked LSU program and is considered one of the top coaches in America. She values these opportunities for her players to experience as part of their journey.  

“We wanted to bring Aneesah back to the Chicago area and you can’t do these things all the time,” Mulkey said. “You have to have an opponent that will agree to play you and we appreciate UIC having us here. It’s important to me and it’s important to them (the players) and that’s why we do it.”

For Morrow, it was a lot to take in. A rousing ovation upon her introduction, and a packed house with all eyes on her every move led to a not-so-perfect start with just two points in a first-quarter performance shooting 1-7 from the field. 

But it was just a mere glitch on a special night that saw her rebound big time (finishing 8-16 from the field) for a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds in a 38-plus minute effort to lead the undefeated Tigers (14-0) past the Flames (2-6) for a 91-73 victory.

“I was super excited to see how much of an impact I’ve made here in Chicago. I had 40-plus tickets alone that were left for friends and family, and then to see some people from my high school and elementary schools come out too was really special,” Morrow said. “I’m also proud of my teammates and coaches for wanting me to have the best experience I could have coming home, and I did.”

For UIC and women’s hoops coach Ashleen Bracey, it was a chance for the Flames to learn a little bit more about her team, and how they would react when faced with a quality matchup amid a high-energy environment on their home floor prior to the holiday break.

“When LSU called to ask if we’d be interested in playing them we said why not? It quite honestly was an option that we couldn’t turn down. Aneesha Morrow is a Chicago great and they were really anxious to get her back here,” said Bracey, who is in her third year at the helm at UIC. “Our girls were so excited to compete against one of the best players and teams (in the country), and I thought that we handled ourselves really well.”

The Flames had a balanced attack and hung close for most of the contest trailing just 40-31 at the half. Senior guard Arin Freeman was the top scorer for UIC with 19 points and Makiyah Williams pitched in with 15 points in defeat. LSU’s Flau’Jae Johnson had 23 points to lead all scorers in the game. 

During LSU’s stay in Chicago, Morrow had a chance to visit her old stomping grounds at Simeon and Beasley Elementary School, where she received a surprise announcement that her number will be retired at both of the respective schools.

Finally, as if all of these accolades and praise weren’t enough, Morrow delivered as advertised in the game on Thursday putting on a show to record her 86th double-double in her college career, which ranks her as having the sixth-most in NCAA Division I history. And she still has more than half of this final season to improve on that incredible mark.

“She’s a double-double (machine),” commented Mulkey. “She brings so much to the table as an undersized post player. She leaps out of the gym and positions herself well to get rebounds. But what I’ve seen the most having coached her is that no one outworks her.”

The Morrow’s, mother Nafeesah and father Edward, were in attendance for the homecoming and were proud of their daughter’s resiliency, stepping into the limelight for an evening they won’t soon forget.

“She’s always practiced hard and had a great work ethic from the beginning (of her development growing up) and she’s stuck with it,” Nafeesah said. “And it’s not only in basketball it’s in the classroom as well. She likes to be at the top in all that she does.”

For Dad, it’s her preparation that fuels her both on and off the court.

“She came out a little jittery and expected to have a tough game but she prepared for it, ” Edward said. “She really enjoyed the whole trip and that she was remembered like this.”

And if the WNBA comes calling upon graduation from LSU, and the stars align the right way and she ends up playing for the hometown Chicago Sky, what would that mean?

“We have no control where she’d be going (if she were to be drafted to the WNBA). But if it happens it would be another check in the box,” dad said with a smile.

“It would be amazing,” declared an excited mom. “If she were to play professionally for Chicago, where she’s loved having grown up here, that would be huge for our family and for her.”