It may not be the biggest sport on campus, but Mulkey might be the most accomplished hire LSU has made in its history.
It’s rare to lure a multi-national championship winning coach away from any school, especially one they’ve been at for more than two decades.
But as much success as she’s had in her career, Mulkey, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in May, knows that winning doesn’t come overnight.
“When I have that very first team meeting with everybody that will be a part of the program, from managers, to players, to coaches, everybody in that one locker room in that one team meeting … you lay your expectations out, and you set the ground rules,” Mulkey says. “And then after that will be when you start actually working with the players. That excites me to see how talented we are, to see how hard we will work and to lay a foundation along those lines.”
So, what will that foundation look like?
Mulkey says her teams are centered around seven key principles, most of which remain in the locker room amongst the players and coaches.
But it all stems from leadership—whether it’s leadership on the floor, by example or by simple verbal communication. To Mulkey, finding leaders on the team will be pivotal to getting LSU where it wants to be.
The Tigers haven’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2017 and haven’t advanced past the first round since 2014.
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It’ll take an overhaul of not only the roster, but the culture and mentality of the entire program. Here’s what Mulkey thinks will stand out in the program:
“We’re going to guard you,” she says. “Defense is a big, big deal to me. I think you will see a team that emphasizes rebounding. And obviously we’re going to play hard, so I would say those three things is where I would start, no matter how talented our teams are or how much they struggle.”
This article was originally published in the Tiger Pride 2021 issue of 225 magazine.