LSU women's basketball's officially cleared to play after knee injury

BATON ROUGE – Kim Mulkey and LSU women's basketball received some good news Saturday.

Forward Sa'Myah Smith has officially been cleared for full basketball activities, per an Instagram story posted to LSU point guard Last-Tear Poa's page. Smith, who is entering her third season with the Tigers, missed the majority of the 2023-24 season after suffering a season-ending knee injury last November .

LSU associate athletic trainer Amanda Barbee can be seen in the video alongside Smith, who says that she received "the all clear" from her doctor.

It took Smith roughly just nine months to completely recover ACL and MCL tear that she injured during LSU's game against Niagara in the Cayman Islands Classic.

Getting the 6-2 redshirt sophomore forward back before preseason practice starts and before the 2024-25 season begins is huge for LSU, who opens the year Nov. 4 against Eastern Kentucky. The Tigers' numbers down low in the post are a little thin with just three players, including Smith, that have significant playing time in their careers to this point.

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Center Aalyah Del Rosario received some big minutes in spots during her freshman season last year, including in last season's NCAA Tournament, while Arkansas transfer Jersey Wolfenbarger has played a few seasons in the SEC.

Smith provides an abundance of skill and much-needed experience and knowledge of Mulkey's system. She was a SEC All-Freshman selection two seasons ago.

Before her season-ending injury last November, she was having a tremendous start to her sophomore campaign, averaging 11.7 points and 7.6 rebounds. Her absence created a bit of a depth issue inside for LSU and the initial plan Mulkey had for Aneesah Morrow had to be changed.

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Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU women's basketball's officially cleared to play after knee injury