Kim Mulkey: LSU women's basketball coach.
Think that will do for positive?
It is about as big a splash LSU could make right now, and you can expect LSU women's basketball to be playing for national championships soon enough ... at least that's what Mulkey's career indicates.
To review her record would take too much space (see LSU's news release below). Just call it "outstanding." She's about as big a winner as there is in our sports world. Put her right there with Nick Saban, Pat Summitt, Gene Auriemma ... just to name a few in college athletics.
Much is being made, of course, that Kim is coming "home." For those of us with Louisiana Tech ties, that's not exactly how we see it. LSU wasn't her college home; Louisiana Tech is.
Famously, or infamously, in 2000, Kim could have been the Louisiana Tech women's head basketball coach, the natural successor to Leon Barmore -- the coach she played for, and then was his 15-year assistant.
Tech, at that point, was the longtime women's powerhouse in Louisiana (and one of the nation's powers). And Kim had helped make it so.
But she couldn't come to contract terms with Tech. The recall here is that she wanted a multi-year deal; Tech was only doing one-year deals. It didn't please Kim, and she bolted instead to Baylor ... and another La. Tech connection.
At Baylor, she succeeded Sonja Hogg, who had been the original Tech women's coach and built the program, which hit greater heights once she hired Barmore as top assistant (and later co-head coach).
Sonja was the Baylor head coach for six years, but -- without Barmore at her side -- wasn't nearly as successful in terms of wins-losses. But she was instrumental and supportive in helping bring Mulkey to Baylor.
Mulkey at times over the years publicly has voiced her displeasure/bitterness about the Tech contract flap. That did not sit well with some Tech folks ... but only temporarily because -- no matter what -- Kim is a beloved figure at Louisiana Tech. And because people realize that over many years, Kim can be quite outspoken about what's on her mind.
She's taken criticism for some of that, and she's had to explain herself. But here is what I assure you: She also is beloved at Baylor, and the prediction is she soon will be beloved at LSU.
Speaking of predictions -- and I am not making this up -- about two months ago when LSU women's team was going through another middling season, I told a friend (can't remember who it was) that LSU would be making a women's basketball coaching change at the end of the season and that Kim Mulkey would be the next LSU coach.
Honestly, I said that. Of course, it was pure speculation, wishful thinking. But Kim's ties to Louisiana and LSU (where her son, Kramer Robertson, played baseball -- shortstop -- en route to a pro contract -- St. Louis Cardinals' organization) were good reasons.
One of my friends, a former basketball coach -- state-championship high school coach and, for a brief time, a college assistant -- did not believe Mulkey would take the LSU job. He told me that Saturday, and also stated what he has said often: That LSU does not really care about basketball.
I have never agreed with that. Sorry, coach.
The men's program isn't always a big winner, but there is a history of four Final Four appearances and some of the greatest college players in the game (Bob Pettit, Pistol Pete Maravich, Shaquille O'Neal for starters). In many of Dale Brown's 25 years as head coach, the Tigers were NCAA Tournament entries.
And the women's program made five Final Fours in a row in 2004-08 ... under three different head coaches.
LSU's men's program right now is under much scrutiny and controversy since coach Will Wade's "strong-ass offer" comment became public and the reports of his having provided payment for 11 players to come play at LSU.
(Add the Les Miles off-the-field crap and the reports of LSU football players' sexual assaults/transgressions, and athletic department cover-ups, and it's embarrassing. Inexcusable.)
Hello, NCAA and FBI investigations ... ongoing. Cannot understand how LSU has stuck by him.
So my suggestion to some friends is that Mulkey could coach the women's team and the men's team. Thank you. Kim could do it.
As for LSU being serious about basketball, I think we have our answer, at least for the women's team. Money talks.
When the powers-that-be decide that the men's program should abide by NCAA rules -- or what the rules are supposed to be -- and makes a move on Wade, that will mean it, too, is headed in the right direction again.
Mulkey -- and Wade, while he's there, if he's there -- have much work to do to bring in players to refresh their programs. The lenient transfer rules these days should make that easier than in past years.
Would not be a big surprise at all if Mulkey builds this program in a hurry. No doubt about it, she knows how to win.
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From Leonard Ponder: You gave me a heads-up on the Mulkey hire by sending me a link from LSU about the possibility. ...
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely correct. LSU made a great hire. It will not take long for Mulkey to build a championship program. Some coaches have the knack. Mulkey is one of them. However, it does deprive me of watching two powerhouse recruiters go against one another. Although the University of Texas had the name, Mulkey outrecruited them because she was a better recruiter and coach than those at UT. The Vic Shaefer hire at UT changed that. Had she stayed at Baylor she would go against a coach with talents equal to hers and a school with many more resources. It would have been fun to watch.
LSU women's basketball will soon enjoy outstanding success. Now if only they would shed themselves of Will Wade.
From John Watkins: Seems like a great move to me. She's accomplished all she can at Baylor. And having lived in Waco myself, I can tell you I had much rather be somewhere else!
ReplyDeleteFrom Pat Booras: As I remember the “flap,” Kim Mulkey wanted a five-year deal at Louisiana Tech to be head women’s basketball coach ... the “powers-that-be" at Tech told Mulkey she would get a four-year deal, “Take It or Leave It,” but under no circumstances would she be offered a five-year contract.
ReplyDeleteKim left the four-year deal and refused to sign it on principle.
The rest is history.🏀
That is the story Kim related repeatedly. We never heard Tech's version of the story. But at the heart of the story was then-Tech President Dr. Dan Reneau declining to meet Kim's terms.
DeleteFrom Bud Dean: It’s going to be tough for a couple of years. We’ll see. I wish her the best. Could give a ___ about LSU.
ReplyDeleteFrom Jesse Carrigan: Good for her. I'm a fan. But it's kind of like your mother marrying another man -- doesn't seem quite right. ... And like Coach [Mickey] Slaughter would say when USL and McNeese beat us [La. Tech]: "a bitter pill."
ReplyDeleteFrom Brian McNicoll: My understanding is Nikki [Fargas] had talked the five LSU seniors from last season, including her niece who is the best player, to stay. They also have grad transfers from Vanderbilt and Alabama. That’ll give Mulkey a team to start with (LSU was the only team to beat A&M in the regular season) and at least seven open scholarships after next season.
ReplyDeleteThere also are like five players in the portal.
From Will Weathers: Three of the seniors agreed to stay before Nikki's resignation, the other two entered the transfer portal. The graduate transfer from Alabama has moved on and signed with Arizona.
DeleteFrom Garry Smits: Will her son sit in the stands and ESPN show dozens of shots per game?
ReplyDeleteFrom Ken Sins: Having spent more than m share of time in Wacko, I understand the move. The $$$$ also has much to do with it, I’m quite sure.
ReplyDeleteFrom James Cottrell: For that matter she could run the men’s program. At least it would be cleaner.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to see her leave! She was much loved and respected at Baylor
ReplyDeleteFrom George Sylvie: Great coach, but a poor sport.
ReplyDeleteFrom Jo Gilbert: She is an excellent coach but very hard to like.
ReplyDeleteFrom John Whitmore: I wonder if Mulkey returns to Tech someday after she has made her millions and salary isn't an issue. It would be interesting to know how successful she would have been had she stayed at Tech.
ReplyDeleteFrom Dave and Charlene Ernst: Enjoyed reading your blog. And if you can believe just half of anything Mac Engel wrote in the Star Tele today her honeymoon was long gone with Baylor, so it is no surprise that she took the LSU job. We wish her well. But she will never be completely gone from the state of Texas as she will always be recruiting this area.
ReplyDeleteFrom Karen Miles: Thanks for sharing. Our youngest son went to LSU so the article was so interesting to me.
ReplyDelete