Former LSU women's basketball player Danielle Ballard dead at 29 after being hit by car

Some sad news hit the women’s basketball world Thursday, as former LSU women’s basketball standout Danielle Ballard died after being struck by a car in Memphis, Tennessee early Thursday morning.

Memphis Police and LSU confirmed the news, with the Memphis Police responding to a pedestrian hit at Coleman Road and Raleigh-Lagrange Road at 1:30 a.m. on Thursday. The pedestrian was the 29-year-old Ballard, who was pronounced dead at Regional One Health following the accident.

The driver stayed on the scene following the accident and the Memphis Police Department said the investigation is ongoing.

Ballard was a Memphis native and a high school standout, ranked the No. 7 guard in the nation and the No. 25 overall player by ESPN Hoop Gurlz for the 2012 class. She helped lead Memphis Central high school to a 3A state championship in her junior season, and following her senior year decided to attend LSU.

Ballard spent the three seasons of her collegiate career with the Tigers, averaging 12.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game during her time in Baton Rouge. She had a decorated career, earning a multitude of honors including All-SEC First Team, SEC All-Freshman Team, WBCA All-America Honorable Mention, and LSWA Louisiana Player of the Year.

She played some of her best basketball for the Tigers in the NCAA Tournament, where she shined brightest and put together numerous iconic postseason performances.

In the first round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament, she scored 24 points, grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds, and dished out four assists to help defeat Georgia Tech. She followed that with a 22-point, 15-rebound, and six-assist performance in the next round versus West Virginia, and in a Sweet 16 loss to Louisville recorded 24 points and 10 rebounds, which at the time made her the first Tiger since Theresa Plaisance to put together three straight 20-plus point performances.

Ballard did not return to LSU for her senior season, ending her career with the Tigers just 23 points shy from reaching 1,000 for her career. She also recorded 548 rebounds, 230 assists, and 194 steals in her three seasons with LSU. She still holds the freshman school record for steals in a season with 100, which also ranks second all-time in a single season.

She’s the daughter of Blanche Ballard and Danny Nolen and the sister of her three siblings Danny, Darian and Daniel.