Freshman Standout: Aalyah Del Rosario begins piecing it together

With the No. 1 freshman class in the country in Baton Rouge, there’s an expectation that LSU’s rotation will feature some of the top young players in the country along with the trio of potential all-americans this season. Mikaylah Williams is the heralded No. 2 player in the country and star in the making, but there’s another addition that has incredible importance as well.

That’s 6-foot-6 freshman Aalyah Del Rosario, who enters the year as the tallest player on the roster and stepped onto campus as a player that fascinates head coach Kim Mulkey. Del Rosario was the No. 7 player in the country and the No. 1 ranked played over 6-foot-3 in the 2023 class. 

Sources tell The Bengal Tiger that Del Rosario has slimmed down significantly since arriving on campus and has looked great since recovering from her ankle surgery over the summer. She spent most of July and August rehabbing and was good to go for the start of practices in September. The freshman forward has been one of the biggest bright spots for LSU this fall.

“I feel 100 percent back and now it’s just about getting in game shape,” Del Rosario said. “The pace is really different from high school, the game is faster, so it’s just getting in shape and that’s really going to help me.” 

Development at LSU

As practices continue to ramp up at LSU, Del Rosario continuously plays her way into better shape, allowing her to move more freely than she did in high school. Her practices against star forward Angel Reese and second-year center S’Myah Smith have been pivotal in her development on both ends and there’s a hope from the coaching staff that she’ll be ready to contribute even sooner than expected.

“Going against them is making me better,” Del Rosario said of facing the other bigs. “I’ve learned a lot. Being able to play against Angel and playing for coach Starkey has been really good for me, just learning about the mentality of the post players.”

Surely there will be a learning curve during the season as Del Rosario continues to develop, but the value of having a player of her size able to contribute meaningful minutes this season only strengthens the Tigers’ hopes for another title run. Smith and Reese are listed at 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-3, respectively, making Del Rosario the tallest player on the roster by three inches. 

LaDahzia Williams was a pivotal piece of last year’s LSU team with her post defense. this year, the Tigers face teams like Tennessee and South Carolina with starting posts 6-foot-6 or taller, so adding Del Rosario to the rotation can take significant pressure off of Reese and Smith in defending the paint this year.

“She brings a big presence into the paint and you can’t say enough about people who have size,” Mulkey said. “You see finesse at times and I tease her and tell her I want her to be more of a dog and not so nice. Her skill level is good, but it’s going to go off the charts when she’s playing with Angel and S’Myah everyday and learns how physical you have to be at this level. She’s a joy to coach and I can’t wait for you to see how she develops.”

Kim Mulkey’s team begins its 2023-24 season on Nov. 6 in Las Vegas against Colorado on TNT. LSU enters the year as the No. 1 team in the country and the favorite to win the national championship coming off of the title run last season.