Tag: kim mulkey

LSU women’s basketball unveils Seimone Augustus statue

Augustus’ statue was unveiled in a ceremony outside the PMAC in front of a huge crowd.

[autotag]Seimone Augustus[/autotag]’ presence will forever be felt outside Pete Maravich Assembly Center. LSU honored the legend with a statue on Sunday.

Augustus played at LSU from 2002-06, where she has a strong argument as the greatest player in program history. She spent 15 years playing professional basketball, and she was a four-time champion and eight-time all-star in the WNBA.

Here’s a video of Kim Mulkey helping to pull the cover off the statue prior to the game.

Augustus is the first female athlete in LSU history to get a statue. Her number was previously retired in 2010. Athletic director [autotag]Scott Woodward[/autotag] said Augustus helped transform LSU women’s basketball.

She was a two-time SEC player of the year and the top overall pick in the 2006 WNBA Draft. She was national player of the year in her senior campaign and helped lead LSU to three final fours.

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The 8 moments that defined LSU athletics in 2022

2022 was quite a year on the bayou.

It was a wild year for LSU.

We saw coaches get fired and hired. Hearts were broken by blocked extra-points and put back together with game-winning two-point conversions. There were improbable comebacks and squandered opportunities.

New arrivals, like [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag] and [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag], excelled on the field and on the court. Meanwhile, bona fide stars like baseball’s [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] and gym’s [autotag]Haleigh Bryant[/autotag] did their thing, too.

Stories about NIL and the transfer portal dominated the discussion around college sports, and it was no different at LSU with football and baseball signing transfer after transfer and gym’s [autotag]Olivia Dunne[/autotag] signing NIL deal after NIL deal.

Here’s a look at the stories that defined LSU in 2022.

Five things for LSU fans to be thankful for this year

In honor of Thanksgiving, here’s what LSU fans should be thankful for this holiday season.

The Tigers’ athletic department has a proud tradition of contending: not just in football, but in sports across the board.

When I began covering this team back in March, it seemed like the program was at something of a low point. The football team had just brought in [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] after back-to-back disappointing campaigns, while the basketball program was closing up a disappointing finish to a season that started strong and ultimately ended with the dismissal of [autotag]Will Wade[/autotag].

To add onto that, the baseball program had a new coach in [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag], who was tasked with replacing the legendary [autotag]Paul Mainieri[/autotag], and [autotag]Kim Mulkey[/autotag] was in her first season trying to take the women’s basketball program to the next level. Change was the defining theme of this athletics department under [autotag]Scott Woodward[/autotag] just a few months ago.

But eight months later, and there seems to be an entirely new outlook for a number of LSU sports. With so much change in 2022 — much of it positive — here’s what Tigers fans have to be thankful for this holiday season.

LSU AD Scott Woodward set to receive 4-year extension

LSU’s board of supervisors is set for a vote to approve Woodward’s extension — which would pay him $1.8 million annually — on Friday afternoon.

Tigers athletics director [autotag]Scott Woodward[/autotag] is sticking around for the near future.

Woodward is set to receive a four-year extension that will pay him $1.85 million annually. The university’s board of supervisors is set to hold a vote to approve Woodward’s extension on Friday afternoon.

Woodward’s contract includes academic incentives that could boost his pay by as much as $250,000 annually, per a report from ESPN’s Alex Scarborough. It could also net him $500,000 in bonuses for the 2025 and 2029 fiscal years if he meets certain incentives, and a national championship for one program or an SEC title for three would grant him an additional $500,000 in a “Milestone Performance Payment.”

LSU hired Woodward away from Texas A&M, where he pulled football coach Jimbo Fisher from Florida State, in 2019. Since joining his alma mater, Woodward has gained notoriety for his flashy coach hirings, which have included [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag], [autotag]Kim Mulkey[/autotag], [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] and [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag].

Woodward is regarded as one of the top ADs in college sports, and it seems like he’ll be calling the shots at LSU, at least in the relative short term.

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Kim Mulkey’s lack of compassion for Brittney Griner shouldn’t surprise you because she’s already shown us exactly who she is

Kim Mulkey’s response on Brittney Griner is more disappointing than it is surprising

Brittney Griner’s wrongful detainment in Russia has truly revealed how much she means to so many people.

She’s loved, she’s idolized, she’s adored. Everyone has kind things to say about the sort of person she is. They’re constantly rooting for her safe return home and, with every passing day, the general public questions more and more why it hasn’t happened yet.

None of that applies to her former head coach at Baylor, Kim Mulkey, who doesn’t seem to see Brittney Griner as more than a career stepping stone.

She has nothing good to say about her former player. She has no words of encouragement for her family or a kind sentiment to share to the public. In fact, apparently, she has nothing to say at all.

Mulkey, now LSU’s coach, was asked about Griner’s situation in a recent press conference this week. The reporter, Cory Diaz, noted that he hadn’t heard anything from her on the Griner front which, you know, is a reasonable question considering the fact that Mulkey coached her for four years at Baylor.

What seemed to catch everyone off guard was the fact that Mulkey didn’t have anything to say.

“Diaz: I wanted to get your thoughts on the Brittney Griner situation. I don’t think I’ve seen anything from you on that…

Mulkey: And you won’t. I’ll answer the first one for you.”

There you have it, folks. We won’t hear from Mulkey on Griner. Not a peep. Nothing at all despite the fact that Griner brought her an NCAA championship in a season where they amassed a 40-0 record together.

And what a shame that is. It’s truly a tragedy to see a coach stoop to such a low level when it comes to one of her former players.

What makes this worse is that Baylor’s current coach, Nicki Collen, showed nothing but grace when asked about Griner.

“Those that have been around me know I get pretty emotional…I think BG, first of all, is human first. I think this is a human rights issue. No one’s saying she didn’t make a mistake. None of us are perfect. But I guess I would wanna know if I did something and was stuck in a foreign country, what it was, what it wasn’t. I think we all know that 10 years is a long time. I see her as a mother, as a sister, as a spouse, as a daughter, as an unbelievable ambassador for the game of basketball.”

That’s how easy it is. This isn’t her player. She has nothing to do with the situation. But kindness doesn’t cost a thing and Collen seems able to offer up plenty of it. We can’t say the same for Mulkey.

I’d love to call this surprising, but that would be a lie. It’s not shocking. It shouldn’t catch anyone off guard. This is just who Kim Mulkey is and who she always has been. She’s shown us that at every turn.

After all, this is the same coach that barred her team from talking about their sexuality, according to Griner herself. The former Baylor star revealed how Mulkey and the program, overall, weren’t welcoming to gay athletes during her time there.

That’s not something a loving coach would do. Those aren’t things a loving coach would ask of one of their players, no matter what their skill level is. It’s not something a program that actually cared about its students would allow.

On top of that, this isn’t the first time Mulkey has been silent on important issues — particularly when it comes to Black players. After George Floyd was killed by police officers in 2020, Mulkey had nothing to say while the rest of the sports world spoke out against police violence. Chloe Jackson, a former player, called her out on it. Yet, still. Nothing has changed. History is just repeating itself.

So, yes. Mulkey is sincere in her apathy. She’s committed in her silence. She genuinely doesn’t care about Brittney Griner or her well-being. The truth is she never actually has and it’s been plain to see for years.

It’s not surprising. If anything, it’s disappointing. Coaches are supposed to be leaders. They’re the ones who their athletes are supposed to look to for guidance and wisdom. And when it comes to their former athletes, they show compassion. Any good coach you’ve ever had is just one phone call away.

Yet here Kim Mulkey is with one of her former players wrongfully detained in a foreign country, and her only response is still hostility.

I’m sure her new recruits at LSU are going to love this.

Lil Wayne congratulates LSU’s Kim Mulkey on winning AP Coach of the Year

Mulkey received some celebrity congratulations after earning the national coach of the year award.

[autotag]Kim Mulkey[/autotag] completely revitalized LSU’s women’s basketball in just one season. Since an unbelievable stretch where the program made five consecutive Final Fours from 2004-08, the Tigers have made it to the Sweet 16 just twice.

They went 9-13 last season, and athletics director [autotag]Scott Woodward[/autotag] opted to fix things with a big hire: the three-time national championship-winning coach at Baylor.

Mulkey orchestrated arguably the most impressive turnaround in the nation this year, leading the team to a 26-6 record and No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. LSU was upset in the second round by [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag], but Mulkey was still named AP Coach of the Year for her efforts.

She also got some celebrity recognition from Lil Wayne. The world-famous rapper tweeted his congratulations to Mulkey, whom he described as a “dear friend.”

Wayne is a native of New Orleans and a fan of the Tigers, so it’s no surprise he enjoyed their run this season, especially if he has a prior relationship with Mulkey.

It was a bold move for her to leave the program where she won three titles, but like many power conference coaches in other sports over the past few years, she saw an opportunity in Baton Rouge.

LSU’s men’s program may have a questionable future with roster turnover and the shadow of potential NCAA allegations looming, but the women’s program has a very bright future with one of the game’s elite coaches in Mulkey at the helm.

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Breaking down the 5 LSU teams that have undergone coaching changes since 2020

Each of LSU’s major sports has undergone coaching transitions in the last two years. Let’s take a look at all of them.

Since August 2020, what could be considered LSU’s five major sports have all undergone coaching changes.

Those five sports are football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, and gymnastics.

The situations leading to each change were wildly different, and sometimes not even in the same stratosphere. Nonetheless, the changes did occur and the athletic department looks a whole lot different than it did when 2020 began.

Gymnastics was the first to transition and also the most seamless, when [autotag]D-D Breaux[/autotag] retired, associate head coach [autotag]Jay Clark[/autotag] was tabbed to assume the head position.

Next, in what was the most impressive hire, [autotag]Kim Mulkey[/autotag] came to LSU after building a dynasty at Baylor. Not long after that, [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] was hired to helm the baseball program after the retirement of [autotag]Paul Mainieri[/autotag].

I doubt many people need refreshers on what happened in football or men’s basketball, given how dramatic and high-profile each situation was, but [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] took over after a wild conclusion to the [autotag]Ed Orgeron[/autotag] era. Most recently, [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] was hired after the [autotag]Will Wade[/autotag] saga came to an inevitable ending.

With all five coaches now in place, let’s take a look back at each transition, and where each sport stands going forward.

LSU’s Kim Mulkey named Coach of the Year by The Athletic

Mulkey has the Tigers at 25-4 in her first season in Baton Rouge after they finished with a losing record in 2020-21.

Tigers women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey has orchestrated one of the most impressive turnarounds in all of college basketball this season, and she’s been honored for her efforts.

On Wednesday, Mulkey was named as The Athletic’s Coach of the Year. This is nothing out of the ordinary for Mulkey, who has been among the elite coaches in women’s basketball over the last two decades. During that span, she won two national Coach of the Year awards from the Associated Press and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association in her previous role at Baylor.

She was also a three-time U.S. Basketball Writers Association Coach of the Year with the Bears, where she coached from 2000-21 and won three national titles.

LSU athletics director Scott Woodward shot for the moon when he targeted Mulkey last offseason, a decision that has paid off in droves. After a 9-13 finish in 2020-21, Mulkey entirely revitalized this program.

The Tigers sit at 25-4, the first time the program has won 25 games during the regular season since 2007-08.

Mulkey’s squad is in great position heading into the NCAA Tournament despite a first-round upset against the Kentucky Wildcats in the opener at the SEC Tournament last week. LSU is projected to be a top-four seed, and this award likely won’t be the last Mulkey receives this year.

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Kim Mulkey just completely lost it after LSU didn’t get a call in their loss to Kentucky

These refs are lucky Kim Mulkey ain’t propose the fade.

Nine times out of 10, when we see coaches on the sideline in any sport they keep cool, calm and collected at all times.

Sure, there’s the occasional outburst about a call that was missed or a call that was made. And maybe sometimes they’re upset with their players and that leads to a bit of animation on the sideline.

But we rarely see a moment from a coach like Kim Mulkey had on Friday night when LSU played Kentucky in the SEC Tournament.

Mulkey’s Tigers were down by 12 with about two minutes left to go in the game. She got so mad that a foul wasn’t called when LSU had the ball that she literally followed the ref down the court to berate him while the game was still in play.

Nah. Mulkey was ready to get busy with the entire officiating crew. She wasn’t playing games with them.

Mulkey did get a technical foul for this, obviously. It’s pretty surprising she wasn’t actually ejected from the game, though, considering the outburst and that she was on the court away from her bench while the game was still in play.

I guess it wouldn’t have mattered at that point — things were already in hand. But still, this was wild. Mulkey was really down for the scrap.

Fans were surprised by Mulkey’s wild reaction.

How to watch as LSU women’s basketball takes on Kentucky in SEC Tournament opener

The two-seeded Tigers take on the Wildcats in Nashville to open

The LSU women’s basketball team is the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament after going 25-4 and 13-3 in the SEC. The Tigers earned a double-bye and will take on the Kentucky Wildcats in their first game. Kentucky beat Mississippi State on Thursday night to advance.

Here’s a full preview of LSU’s SEC Tournament opener against UK.

Players to watch

LSU

Khayla Pointer was an All-SEC First Team selection and leads the Tigers in scoring averaging 18.7 points per game. Pointer also averages 6.5 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game. The point guard has scored 20 plus points 14 times and has two triple-doubles this season.

With the Tigers’ second-leading scorer likely out for the SEC tournament, Faustine Aifuwa will need to step up. She is averaging 9.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Aifuwa will need to be a factor on both sides of the court, but she can control the paint with her 1.5 blocks per game.

Kentucky

When you talk about the Wildcats, it starts and stops with Rhyne Howard. She is expected to be a top pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft and is averaging 20.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. She can score from anywhere on the court, so LSU will need to pay close attention to her.

Dre’una Edwards is another player that the Tigers must watch out for. She is a solid inside presence for Kentucky and is scoring 17 points per game on 52.3% shooting from the field this season.

How to watch

  • Date: Friday, Mar. 4th
  • Location: Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee
  • Time: 6:00 p.m. CT
  • TV: SEC Network
  • Radio: LSU Radio Network
  • Live Stream: ESPN.com/watch

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