Tag: kim mulkey

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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LSU women’s basketball uses strong 4th quarter to beat the Aggies

Strong finish keeps LSU women’s basketball perfect in early SEC play

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The LSU women’s basketball team beat Texas A&M 75-66. It is the second top 25 team that LSU has beaten this season. The Tigers trailed going into the fourth quarter 49-46 but outscored the Aggies 29 to 17 to improve to 14-1 on the season.

Alexis Morris led LSU in scoring with  30 points on 9-for-16 from the field, she also hit 4-of-9 three-point shots. Morris also did a great job getting to the free-throw line converting on 8-of 12 free throws. 23 of Morris’s 30 points came in the second half.

LSU’s leading scorer Khayla Pointer pitched in with 17 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. Jalin Cherry also added ten points for the Tigers.

The Tigers’ defense held the Aggies’ two leading scorers in check. Kayla Wells was held to 13 points on  5-18 shooting from the field. Jordan Nixon shot 1-of-11 from the field and scored just seven points. Texas A&M just shot 32.9% from the field. LSU outrebounded Texas A&M 49 to 39, including 16 offensive rebounds. Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey thought rebounding was key.

“This is going to be the way it is, it’s the SEC,” said head coach Kim Mulkey. “There are a lot of good players, coaches, and teams. I thought rebounding was key when we were not able to make shots and when we were struggling. The crowd got into it, they helped us get over the hump.”

Up next for LSU will be another top 25 against probably the best team in the country South Carolina at home on Thursday. The Gamecocks lost to Missouri on Friday night. The Tigers will need to continue their strong defensive play to be able to beat South Carolina.

LSU men’s and women’s basketball ranked in latest AP Poll

Both the men’s and women’s teams climb in the latest AP top 25 polls.

Both the LSU men’s and women’s teams are ranked once again and climbing in the AP Polls. The two teams are a combined 20-1 heading into Monday.

The LSU men’s basketball climbed in both the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll and the AP Poll. Last week saw the Tigers at No. 19 but now find themselves at No. 17. However, this time the Texas Longhorns are ahead of the Bayou Bengals, unlike how the coaches see it. Just 27 points separate the two teams. The Kentucky Wildcats are the lowest-ranked SEC team in the poll at No. 20.

The conference has five ranked teams and only Alabama is in the top 10, barely as they were ranked No. 10 this week. The Tigers will face the No. 12 ranked Auburn Tigers on Dec. 29.

The men’s basketball AP Poll

LSU head coach Will Wade reacts during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Louisiana Tech in Bossier City, La., Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

A full look at the AP poll for men’s basketball:

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 Baylor 10-0 1,524 (60) –
2 Duke 10-1 1,445 –
3 Purdue 10-1 1,360 –
4 Gonzaga 9-2 1,313 +1
5 UCLA 9-1 1,294 -1
6 Arizona 11-0 1,230 (1) +2
7 Kansas 9-1 1,210 –
8 USC 12-0 937 +2
9 Iowa State 11-0 926 +2
10 Alabama 9-2 897 -4
11 Michigan State 9-2 822 +1
12 Auburn 10-1 782 +1
13 Houston 10-2 780 +1
14 Ohio State 8-2 744 +1
15 Seton Hall 9-2 693 +1
16 Texas 8-2 569 +1
17 LSU 11-0 542 +2
18 Xavier 11-1 469 +4
19 Tennessee 8-2 447 -1
20 Kentucky 8-2 428 +1
21 Colorado State 10-0 328 +2
22 Providence 11-1 266 –
23 Villanova 7-4 222 -14
24 Wisconsin 9-2 182 –
25 Texas Tech 8-2 86 –

Others Receiving Votes

Oklahoma 65, West Virginia 57, Connecticut 55, Illinois 49, Loyola Chicago 42, Arkansas 9, Michigan 9, BYU 8, North Carolina 7, San Francisco 6, Wake Forest 5, Oklahoma State 4, Virginia Tech 4, Iowa 3, Minnesota 3, Creighton 2, Memphis 1

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Next, the women’s AP poll

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

LSU women’s basketball set to host winless Texas Southern

LSU women’s basketball set to keep it rolling after their upset victory over Iowa State

The LSU Lady Tigers’ last time out they beat No.14 Iowa State 69-90. The Lady Tigers are now ranked No.24 in the country. They are now 6-1 on the young season. Up next for LSU are the winless Texas Southern Lady Tigers.

So far this season, LSU is averaging 72.6 points per on 44.7% shooting from the field. Under new head coach Kim Mulkey, LSU scores more efficiently by pushing the tempo. The Lady Tigers are also doing an outstanding job on defense by holding opponents to 36.2% shooting from the field.

Texas Southern is led by women’s basketball legend Cynthia Cooper-Dyke. However, they come in only averaging 43.8 points per game. Texas Southern does not score much, but they play hard and show on the defensive end. The Lady Tigers come into the match forcing close to 17 turnovers per game.

Players To Watch

LSU

Khayla Pointer is LSU’s leading scorer, averaging 18. 5 points per contest. She also averages four assists per game. The team’s second-leading scorer, Alexis Morris, averages 14 points per game. Against Iowa State, Pointer and Morris combined to score 45 points, including a career 25 from Morris.

Texas Southern

Texas Southern’s top scorer, Shalexxus, averages 10.5 points per game. In addition, Niya Mitchell grabs 8.3 rebounds per game and adds 9.3 points, while Ashley Austin leads the team with 1.8 assists per game while averaging 6.5 points.

Prediction

It should be a relatively easy game for LSU, Texas Southern struggles scoring, and LSU plays good defense. Expect Lady Tigers to win by double-digits.

LSU women’s basketball will open first practice to the public

LSU women’s basketball will host an open practice next Wednesday.

The LSU women’s basketball team will usher in a new era under head coach Kim Mulkey. The Louisiana native returned to her home state to take over the team. She left Baylor after 22 seasons and three national championships. In the first opportunity to see the women’s team, practice will be open to the public.

The first official LSU Women’s Basketball practice under head coach Kim Mulkey, scheduled for Wednesday, September 29, will be open for fans and media to attend on the main floor of the PMAC.

The open practice will begin at 2 p.m. CT and fans, who are asked to wear masks while attending the practice, will be able to enter through the PMAC’s lower Southeast and Southwest entrances. When coming to campus, fans will be able to park in lot 104, next to the Bernie Moore Track Stadium.

The Tigers will have two exhibition games which will both be free for fans to attend. LSU is scheduled to host Langston on October 30 at 2 p.m. and Loyola on November 4 at 6 p.m.

Nine players return from last year’s team that finished 9-13 and 6-8 in SEC play. Mulkey hopes to turn their luck around after missing the NCAA Tournament a season ago. The top scorer from last season Khayla Pointer will return this season. Last year she averaged 16.9 points per game.

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Kim Mulkey set to be enshrined into Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame

Kim Mulkey will be honored for her success in the near future.

The time has finally come.

The 2020 Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame induction class is set to have its ceremony on Saturday, May 15.

LSU Women’s Basketball head coach Kim Mulkey was named to the 2020 Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame induction class in April of last year. However, the coronavirus pandemic forced the ceremony to be pushed back to a much later date.

After waiting for over a year, the Class of 2020 finally got the green light, and the state of Louisiana could not be more excited for the Tickfaw native to receive her well-deserved title as a Hall of Famer.

Members of the Class of 2020 were asked to select previous Hall of Fame inductees to present them. Mulkey chose basketball legend Michael Jordan to present her — just as every great recognizes great.

The full list of Class of 2020 inductees and presenters is among one of the most impressive to date:

  • Patrick Baumann, presented by Russ Granik (’13), Vlade Divac (’19)
  • Kobe Bryant, presented by Michael Jordan (’09)
  • Kevin Garnett, presented by Isaiah Thomas (’00)
  • Tamika Catchings, presented by Alonzo Mourning (’14), Dawn Stanley (’13)
  • Tim Duncan, presented by David Robinson (’09)
  • Kim Mulkey, presented by Michael Jordan (’09)
  • Barbara Stevens, presented by Geno Auriemma (’06), Muffet McGraw (’17)
  • Rudy Tomjanovich, presented by Calvin Murphy (’93), Hakeem Olajuwon (’08)
  • Eddie Sutton, presented by John Calipari (’15), Bill Self (’17), Sidney Moncrief (’19)

Though this honor is among the most prestigious, Coach Mulkey is just getting started and has a lot more success in store — especially for the Tigers.

 

WATCH: Kim Mulkey tells Ed Orgeron “Don’t you ma’am me. I’m younger than you.”

“Don’t you ma’am me. I’m younger than you.”

Kim Mulkey is home, and she seems to be fitting in just fine already.

Watch below as Kim Mulkey meets Ed Orgeron and they share a funny exchange.

LSU will introduce Kim Mulkey as the new women’s basketball coach this afternoon at 5 p.m. on the main floor of the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

The general public is invited to attend, though masks and social distancing are still required at the event.

Hiring Mulkey is a true blockbuster move for the Tigers. In her time at Baylor she created an impressive resume, leading the team to three NCAA national championships and averaging 30 wins per season in her 21 years as a Lady Bear. 

Mulkey reportedly earned $2.27 million per year at Baylor, while Fargas made $700,000 per year in her final contract. 

This deal is the most significant hire in athletic director Scott Woodward’s two years at LSU.

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Kim Mulkey officially becomes become LSU’s next women’s basketball coach

Kim Mulkey is home.

Sources have confirmed that Louisiana native and Baylor University coaching legend Kim Mulkey, who led the Lady Bears to the 2021 NCAA National Championship game in what was a controversial loss to UCONN has agreed to become LSU’s next women’s basketball coach. 

The announcement of her hiring is set for a 5 p.m. press conference Monday afternoon. Mulkey is replacing Nicki Fargas, who officially resigned Saturday after an impressive decade with the Tigers. 

Mulkey is no stranger to success…especially success in Louisiana.

The Tickfaw native won four championships while playing for Hammond High, then went on to win two national championships when playing point guard for Louisiana Tech. She also won a gold medal on the U.S.A team in the 1984 Olympics. 

From playing to coaching, Mulkey is a winner. 

In her first coaching job as an assistant for her alma mater, LA Tech, she led them to the 1988 NCAA title.

In her time at Baylor she racked up an impressive resume leading the team to three NCAA national championships and averaging 30 wins per season in her 21 years as a Lady Bear. 

The impact she had on the women she coached will forever be ingrained in LSU history as she is the second-winningest coach, just trailing Hall of Fame coach Sue Gunter. Fargas’ impact went beyond the court and into the classroom, with every Tiger under her earning their college degree. 

Landing Mulkey is a blockbuster move for the Tigers. With her guidance, LSU is primed for a revamp of the program. 

The potential terms of a deal are currently unclear. Mulkey reportedly earns a whopping $2.27 million per year at Baylor, while Fargas made $700,000 per year in her final contract. 

This deal is the most significant hire in A.D. Scott Woodward’s two-year tenure at LSU.