Tag: kim mulkey

LSU women’s basketball picks up a prediction for top 10 2025 prospect

The Tigers are in good position to add an elite 2025 shooting guard prospect in Divine Bourrage.

After winning a national title in 2023 and reaching the Final Four again in 2024, coach [autotag]Kim Mulkey[/autotag] and the LSU women’s basketball team look to retool with a roster that lost superstar [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] but brings back [autotag]Flau’Jae Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Aneesah Morrow[/autotag] while adding some veterans in the portal.

While Mulkey’s focus is on the upcoming season, she’s also looking to add top talent in the 2025 recruiting cycle, and the Tigers seem to be in a good spot for a top-10 prospect in the class.

On Sunday morning, LSU picked up a 70% confidence prediction from On3’s Matthew Brune to land [autotag]Divine Bourrage[/autotag], the No. 7 player nationally and No. 2 shooting guard in the 2025 class. The Tigers are now a 93.5% favorite to land Bourrage, who hails from Davenport, Iowa, according to the On3 recruiting prediction machine.

LSU already holds one commitment in the cycle from top 25 point guard [autotag]Bella Hines[/autotag], who committed back in April.

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LSU makes the final 6 for top 2025 recruit Aaliyah Chavez after recent visit from Kim Mulkey

The Tigers are trending for Aaliyah Chavez, and they made the cut as she trimmed her list down to six teams.

[autotag]Kim Mulkey[/autotag] has been aggressive in recruiting point guard [autotag]Aaliyah Chavez[/autotag], the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2025 recruiting class.

Chavez scored 34 points in the Nike Nationals semifinal on Sunday, and Mulkey was in attendance to check on the Lubbock, Texas, native. Shortly after that visit, LSU made the cut on Tuesday for Chavez, who announced a final six consisting of Texas Tech, Texas, Oklahoma, UCLA and South Carolina in addition to the Tigers, according to On3’s Talia Goodman.

LSU is trending for Chavez after hosting her for an unofficial visit in June and is now considered the favorite to land her.

“They’ve recruited me very well,” Chavez said of LSU, per Goodman. “I think I talk to at least an assistant coach every day. They definitely talk to my parents a lot. They’re also a winning program, and I would love to win… [The visit] was fun. It was definitely different than the other visits. They had all the girls there when I was there, so they were in my photoshoots. It was definitely a different vibe. I like their energy as well – at the photoshoot, it was so high. There was no low energy at all.”

Mulkey was also there to check on [autotag]Bella Hines[/autotag], a four-star point guard and top-25 prospect who is already committed to the Tigers.

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LSU women’s basketball the favorite to land 2025’s top overall recruit

LSU is the favorite to land the top recruit in the 2025 class.

[autotag]Kim Mulkey[/autotag] is an elite recruiter. She’s won several national championships by assembling teams of future WNBA stars. At LSU, it’s been more of the same, with Mulkey building one of the best recruiting staffs in the country.

Mulkey and Co. are working on landing one of their biggest pieces yet in 2025 five-star [autotag]Aaliyah Chavez[/autotag]. According to On3, Chavez is the top recruit in the class and per its Prediction Machine, LSU is the favorite to land Chavez at 62%.

The next closest school is Texas Tech, all the way down at 5%. Chavez broke down her top schools for On3 earlier this month.

“They’ve recruited me very well,” She said of LSU, “I think I talk to at least an assistant coach every day.”

Chavez said LSU is a winning program, something that’s important to her and cited the high energy she witnessed on her visit to Baton Rouge.

LSU already has an elite guard on board this cycle with Bella Hines, but Chavez would propel LSU’s class to another level. The Tigers remain involved with [autotag]ZaKiyah Johnson[/autotag] too, but LSU will have to battle Kentucky on that front.

[autotag]Kim Mulkey[/autotag] is preparing to enter her fourth year at LSU. Her program is firmly established as one that recruits can come to reach the next level. The success [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] is having as a rookie in the WNBA can’t hurt either.

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Flau’Jae Johnson mentions Angel Reese and Joe Burrow during ESPYs performance

Flau’Jae Johnson name-dropped a couple of LSU stars during her performance at the ESPYs.

[autotag]Flau’Jae Johnson[/autotag] has the chance to emerge as LSU women’s basketball’s biggest star on the court this season, but she’s already a star off the court.

Johnson has a budding rap career and recently released her debut EP, “The Best of Both Worlds,” which features collaborations with Lil Wayne. With her profile growing, she had the tremendous opportunity to perform her music at the ESPYs on Thursday night.

She took the stage to perform her song “Came Out A Beast” from her debut album, and the song features a couple of references LSU fans may have picked up on as she name-drops both [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] and [autotag]Joe Burrow[/autotag].

The Savannah native has been a big part of the Tigers’ success in her first two seasons in Baton Rouge, and now that Reese has moved on, she could be the face of this team as it looks to return to the Final Four in Year 4 under [autotag]Kim Mulkey[/autotag].

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LSU basketball star Flau’Jae Johnson to perform at ESPYs

LSU star Flau’Jae Johnson will take the stage at the ESPYs on Thursday night.

LSU basketball star [autotag]Flau’Jae Johnson[/autotag] has made a name for herself on and off the court. She’s played a pivotal role in LSU’s tournament success the last two years, while also building a career as a musician.

Johnson’s rap career has become more than just a side hustle and she’ll take another step on Thursday night, performing live at ESPN’s ESPY Awards.

Flau’Jae took to social media to announce the news on Wednesday. The performance comes on the heel of Johnson’s recent album release titled “Best of Both Worlds.”

The record was nine tracks and featured a collaboration with Lil Wayne with Johnson adding to her list of impressive collaborators that already included NLE Choppa.

With [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] gone, Johnson is ready to step into the spotlight for LSU. Her talents away from the court will continue to provide LSU women’s basketball with social media exposure.

A hoist of stars left college basketball this year. That leaves room for Johnson to take the next step.

On the court, Johnson averaged 14.9 points per game last year. That was up from the 11 she averaged as a freshman.

LSU will count on her next year as the Tigers look to make a return to the Final Four under [autotag]Kim Mulkey[/autotag].

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Jayden Daniels wins Corbett Award as top male amateur athlete in Louisiana

Former LSU star Jayden Daniels took home the Corbett Award, given to the best amateur athlete in Louisiana.

Eight months have passed since [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] suited up for LSU football, but the accolades from his prolific 2023 campaign continue to roll in. Shortly after earning SEC Male Athlete of the Year, Daniels was named the Corbett Award Winner, a trophy annually awarded by the Sugar Bowl to the top amateur athlete in the state of Louisiana.

Daniels is the first LSU football player to win the award since [autotag]Joe Burrow[/autotag] in 2019. He follows in the footsteps of former LSU baseball star [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag], who took home the award last year.

He joins a long list of Louisiana greats, including [autotag]Pete Maravich[/autotag] and [autotag]Kim Mulkey[/autotag], who won the award twice while she played for Louisiana Tech.

The award is named for James J. Corbett, a former LSU athletic director.

It comes as no surprise after Daniels lit up the stat sheet en route to a Heisman in 2023, throwing for 3,812 yards and running for 1,134 more.

Daniels went on to be the second overall pick in the NFL draft as the Washington Commanders put their faith in the former LSU star to turn around an offense that’s struggled for a few years now.

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Jennie Baranczyk says the SEC will ‘be a dogfight’ every night

The SEC is arguably the toughest women’s basketball conference in the country and Jennie Baranzcyk is excited for the challenge.

The move to the SEC raised the stakes for the entire Oklahoma Athletic Department. While much of the focus has been on the increase in competition for the football program, other teams will be seeing a step up in competition and intensity as well.

The SEC boasts arguably the best women’s basketball conference in the country. South Carolina has become a dominant force in recent years under head coach Dawn Staley. The Gamecocks went undefeated in 2023-2024 to capture their second national championship in the last three years. The one that South Carolina didn’t win in 2022-2023 was taken home by Kim Mulkey and the LSU Tigers, led by superstar forward Angel Reese.

Then there’s the women’s hoops blue blood Tennessee. They’ve been a tournament team, but haven’t found the same level of success they enjoyed under the legendary Pat Summitt.

And that’s what the Sooners will have to contend with when they enter the SEC, and Oklahoma women’s basketball head coach [autotag]Jennie Baranczyk[/autotag] is aware of the challenge facing her squad.

“I think you’re looking forward to playing everybody,” Baranczyk shared with SEC Now on Monday. “Because, honestly, I think every night it’s a dogfight every night, you know, and it’s new. It’s new to us. I mean, I know we’re new to everybody, but there’s no familiarity and so that’s going to be really fun in itself, especially that first year or two.”

Eight SEC programs made the Women’s NCAA tournament last season. Five of the eight made it to the round of 32 and the Gamecocks and LSU made it to the elite eight.

As tough as the conference will be for the Sooners, Oklahoma brings in a talented and experienced team. Under Baranczyk, they’ve made the round of 32 each season and were a few possessions away from beating Indiana and reaching the Sweet 16.

The Sooners made a splash in the transfer portal by adding forward [autotag]Raegan Beers[/autotag] to their Big 12 championship squad from a year ago. And as important as the talent on the floor, the Sooners have the right woman at the helm to guide this team on a deep tournament run.

Baranczyk has done a fantastic job with the Oklahoma women’s basketball program and has them positioned to be a force when they enter the SEC.

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LSU star Flau’jae Johnson talks to Rolling Stone about debut EP

Rolling Stone did a feature on LSU star Flau’jae Johnson with the release of her new EP.

LSU guard [autotag]Flau’jae Johnson[/autotag] has made a name for herself on and off the court. As a true freshman, she helped lead LSU to a national title. As a sophomore, she emerged as one of the nation’s top shooting guards during LSU’s run to the Elite Eight.

But basketball isn’t her only talent. The Savannah, Georgia, native appeared on America’s Got Talent when she was just 14. And since arriving at LSU, her music career has continued to take off.

With the release of her new EP, Johnson spoke to Rolling Stone for a feature story. Johnson discussed how she isn’t letting her basketball career hold back her musical one and vice versa.

“This is me trying to show that I am the one that can do both,” Johnson told Rolling Stone.

The EP is titled “Best of Both Worlds,” which Johnson said referenced her ability to excel in the gym and in the studio.

She went on to say the game of basketball has made her a better musician.

“Basketball has made me have a certain discipline in my life that helps me demolish the music side. It’s taught me that you work at something every day, you put the hours in, you just fall in love with the process.” Johnson said.

With [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] off to the WNBA, Johnson is set to be the key piece of LSU’s 2024-25 squad as the Tigers look to make another deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

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Angel Reese says LSU’s Kim Mulkey prepared her for WNBA

Angel Reese said that her time at LSU prepared her well for the jump to the WNBA.

Though there have been some learning curves, [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] has impressed since making the jump to the WNBA.

She ranks at or near the top of the rookie leaderboard in several stats, and she’s averaging nearly a double-double with 12.4 points and 9.6 rebounds per game through 11 appearances.

Reese said that her time at LSU with coach [autotag]Kim Mulkey[/autotag] prepared her to make that leap to the professional level.

“I think my transition has been great,” Reese said. “It hasn’t been a super big, huge surprise because Kim Mulkey kind of prepared me for this moment. At LSU, our practice was like four hours. We were ready, we were working. I thought training was going to be harder. I think I was really prepared. I didn’t have any WNBA surprises yet.”

Reese and the Chicago Sky sit at 4-7 on the season and will return to the court on Friday night as they travel to face the Washington Mystics.

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LSU women’s basketball set to face Stanford in ACC/SEC challenge

LSU women’s basketball will face Stanford in this year’s SEC/ACC challenge.

The 2024-25 schedule for LSU women’s basketball is starting to take shape. On Wednesday, LSU announced the Tigers would host Stanford in this year’s SEC/ACC challenge.

The game will take place at the PMAC on Thursday, Dec. 5. This is the second annual SEC/ACC challenge after LSU played host to Virginia Tech last year.

Stanford, its first year in the ACC, will beef up LSU’s nonconference schedule. The Cardinal went 30-6 last year and finished No. 9 in the AP Poll. The offense was among the best in the country, scoring 77.5 points per game.

The SEC doesn’t always offer a ton of quad one win opportunities, so capitalizing on the nonconference slate will be critical.

However, the Stanford program will look different. Head coach Tara VanDerveer retired and star forward Cameron Brink is in the WNBA.

LSU will enter the year with championship expectations again. [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] turned pro and [autotag]Hailey Van Lith[/autotag] hit the transfer portal, but superstar guard [autotag]Flau’Jae Johnson[/autotag] is back along with [autotag]Aneesah Morrow[/autotag].

LSU’s full schedule is yet to be released.

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