Former LSU player Danielle Ballard dies at 29 after being hit by a car

Former Memphis high school basketball star and LSU player Danielle Ballard was killed in a car crash early Thursday morning, according to the Memphis Police Department.

Police said they responded to a call about a pedestrian being hit by a car just before 1:30 a.m. Thursday in Raleigh.

Ballard, 29, was found at the scene and taken to Regional One Hospital. She was pronounced dead on arrival.

The driver, MPD said, did not leave the scene and officers are investigating the crash.

Ballard played for LSU from 2012 until 2015 and started in all but 14 games she played in, averaging over 12 points per game in her collegiate career.

She made the SEC All-Freshman team her first year at LSU and was part of the SEC's All-Defensive team in two seasons.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Danielle. She meant a great deal to our program and was such a big part of our women’s basketball family. It’s difficult to understand why this happened to someone who was so full of life and had so much promise. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends," LSU said in a statement.

A Central High School graduate, Ballard was ranked as the No. 25 overall high school player by ESPN and was the No. 7 guard. As a junior, she was part of Central's first state championship in 89 years during the 2011 season and averaged 13 points, 3.3 assists and 3.87 steals per game.

Lucas Finton is a criminal justice reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com and followed on Twitter @LucasFinton.