San Francisco, CA -- The Urban Knights' bright future is now "Krystal" clear.

On Wednesday, the first National Letter of Intent Signing Day for Academy of Art University, head women's basketball coach LaNay Larson received an official scholarship agreement from Louisiana State University transfer and former McDonald's All-American Krystal Forthan to its program. Forthan, a talented 6-4 post player from Portland, OR and Georgetown High School, joins the Urban Knights as a sophomore this spring and will be eligible to compete in spring 2014.

“Krystal is an unbelievably talented athlete and basketball player," Coach Larson said. "She is a game-changer on both ends of the court with her athleticism and versatility. The great thing about Krystal at 6-4 is that she has the ability to handle and shoot the ball like a guard, but also get to rim and dominate the paint which will make her extremely hard to match up with. Through the recruiting process we have had the privilege of getting to know Krystal and believe that she will benefit from the unique opportunity we have to offer her here at Academy of Art University. She has a chance to leave here being the best player to ever put on a uniform at the DII level and elevate this rising program to an elite status with the chance to do historic things. We are proud to call Krystal an Urban Knight and watch her grow and flourish both on and off the court over the next few years.”

In her first year at LSU, Forthan was considered one of the most talented freshmen in the Southeastern Conference. A two-time recipient of SEC Freshman of the Week, Forthan played in 28 games and was a dynamic force both on the wing and inside, ranking second on the team with 24 blocked shots while averaging 5.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.

Forthan's highlights from that season included Forthan becoming the first freshman to lead the Tigers in scoring in a game since 2009 (17 points in 17 minutes versus Alabama State on Dec. 11, 2011), a LSU student-athlete of the month (Aug. 2011), and had a big game when it really counted. In the second round of the NCAA Tournament, she poured in 15 points (including a career-best 4-of-4 from the free throw line) against Penn State on March 20.

"I'm excited about becoming an Urban Knight," Forthan said. "I believe Academy of Art is a perfect fit for me to balance my academic and basketball goals. I had a great time on my official visit and can't wait to get to know my teammates, coaches, professors, and the great city of San Francisco."

One of the nation's elite high school prospects, Forthan was rated fifth by ESPN Hoop Gurlz and was a finalist for the Naismith High School Player of the Year Award as well as a unanimous McDonald's and WBCA All-American. She helped lead Georgetown High School to a 33-4 record the Class 5A state championship game as a senior in March 2011. That memorable year, Forthan averaged 16.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per game en route to being named Austin American-Statesman Central Texas Player of the Year. She was the first player from Central Texas in nine years to play in the McDonald's All-American Game.

Prior to Georgetown, Forthan led Jefferson High School to a third-place finish in the Class 5A state tournament as a sophomore. She was also named Portland Interscholastic League's Class 6A Player of the Year while averaging 15.1 points per game as a Grant High School General in 2007-2008.

Krystal, the daughter of Ora Forthan and sister to Christian, will join Academy of Art University this spring as a student in the School of Music Production & Sound Design for Visual Media.