LSU Gold

Kim Mulkey Season 2023-24

LSU
Kim Mulkey
Title
Head Coach
Email
wbasketball@lsu.edu
Phone
(225) 578-6643
Hometown
Tickfaw, La.
Alma Mater
Louisiana Tech (1984)

Less than two years after Kim Mulkey returned to Louisiana to do good and be a positive figure in her home state as the head coach for the LSU Women’s Basketball team, the Hall-of-Famer Mulkey delivered the program’s first National Championship to Baton Rouge.

With nine new pieces for the 2022-23 season and just one returning contributor, Coach Mulkey pieced together a team that was the last group standing at the end of March Madness. She became the first head coach in college basketball history to win national championships with multiple programs. She has four national championships as a head coach (Baylor and LSU), one as an assistant coach (Louisiana Tech) and two as a player (Louisiana Tech).

The Tigers were dominant en route to their first national championship, compiling a 34-2 record, including a perfect 17-0 record at home in the PMAC. LSU defeated Iowa in Dallas for the national championship, 102-85, setting the record for points in a championship game. The championship game drew 9.9 million viewers across ABC and ESPN networks to set the record for the most watched women’s college basketball game of all-time.

The Tigers averaged 82.3 points per game throughout the championship season to rank No. 5 in the nation. Scoring 100 points in each of the first five games of the season, LSU tied the NCAA record. The only other team to score 100+ points in five straight games was the 1981-82 Louisiana Tech team that featured Mulkey leading the team as the point guard. LSU set the program record for 100-point games in a season with their sixth in the final game of the season.

LSU was also dominant when it came to rebounding and defense too. LSU averaged 46.1 rebounds per game (No. 4 in NCAA) and limited opponents to shooting the ball 35.9-percent (No. 13 in NCAA).

The Tigers featured some of the nation’s top players. Angel Reese became Coach Mulkey’s 21st All-America player after transferring to LSU from Maryland. Reese was dominant and led the Tigers and set the NCAA record with 34 double-doubles throughout the season. Freshman Flau’jae Johnson was named the SEC Freshman of the Year and Alexis Morris was a First Team All-SEC selection.

Mulkey, the most successful player-turned-coach in college basketball history, was named head coach of the LSU women’s basketball team on April 25, 2021.

It did not take Coach Mulkey long to have success at LSU, winning the AP National Coach of the Year award after leading the greatest turnaround in SEC history by a first-year head coach. Coach Mulkey joined Geno Auriemma and Muffet McGraw as the only coaches to earn the AP Coach of the Year award three times. Taking over a team that had won nine games the previous season, Mulkey’s first LSU team finished 26-6, in second place in the SEC and the Tigers hosted first- and second-round games in the NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed.

LSU finished the 2021-22 season with the best scoring offense in the SEC, putting up 73.7 points per game while shooting 44.3-percent from the field to rank No. 2 in the SEC. The increased offense helped lead LSU back into the rankings where the Tigers reached as high as No. 6 in the AP Poll throughout the season. The Tigers were 6-1 against ranked teams throughout Coach Mulkey’s first season in Baton Rouge.

In Coach Mulkey’s first season, Khayla Pointer was named an All-American (AP and Sports Illustrated Second Team; USBWA Third Team) to become the 20th All-American overall and first at LSU that Mulkey has coached. Pointer was also named All-SEC First Team and Alexis Morris earned All-SEC Second Team Honors.

Reenergizing a fan base that was hungry for success at LSU, the Tigers finished No. 3 in the SEC in attendance, averaging 7,167 fans per game and totaling 129,008 fans throughout the season to set a new LSU attendance record in women’s basketball. In Coach Mulkey’s first season, LSU sold-out the PMAC on February 20 against No. 17 Florida. The Tigers won in front of a crowd of 13,620, the fourth largest crowd in LSU Women’s Basketball history.

A native of Tickfaw, La., Mulkey came to Baton Rouge as the most accomplished head coaching hire in LSU history. She returned to Louisiana as a six-time national champion and nine-time Hall of Famer who is set for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in May of 2021.

Mulkey, who also won an Olympic Gold Medal in 1984, is the only person in college basketball history – men’s or women’s – to win national championships as a head coach, assistant coach and a player. She’s one of just three coaches (Bobby Knight and Dean Smith) in college basketball history to win national titles as a player and a coach.

In taking over for the Tigers, Mulkey became the eighth head coach in LSU women’s basketball history. Mulkey, who became the fastest coach in Division I history to reach 600 wins (needing only 700 games) in 2020, brought an overall head coaching mark of 632-104 to LSU. Her 600 wins in 700 games bettered the previous mark held by Adolph Rupp of Kentucky, who needed 704 games. On January 30, 2022, Coach Mulkey won her 650th game as a head coach during LSU’s win over Kentucky in the PMAC, also accomplishing that frat faster than any other coach in Division I history.

In 21 years as the head coach at Baylor, Mulkey led the Lady Bears to four Final Fours, winning three national titles. Her teams reached the Elite Eight six times and the Sweet 16 on five other occasions. In all, she led Baylor to an NCAA Tournament appearance 19 times in 20 years. She led Baylor to the Women’s NIT championship game in her third year in Waco.

In conference play, Mulkey guided Baylor to a combined 23 Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles.

A member of the 2020 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class, Mulkey built Baylor into a national power, as they became just the third program in NCAA history to have at least three national titles to its credit when the Lady Bears beat Notre Dame, 82-81, on April 7, 2019. Mulkey’s other national championships at Baylor came in 2005 and 2012. Baylor’s NCAA title in 2005 was the first for a women’s sport in school history, and in 2012, she directed her team to the first 40-0 mark in NCAA history, capped off by a victory over Notre Dame in the championship game.

Mulkey has been named National Coach of the Year nine times from various entities, and she was selected as the Big 12 Coach of the Year eight times. She’s taken home the New York Athletic Club’s Winged Foot Award after each national championship as a head coach.

Mulkey is also a member of the National High School Hall of Fame (1985), Louisiana High School Hall of Fame (1986), Louisiana Sports Writers Hall of Fame (1990), Louisiana Tech Athletics Hall of Fame (1992), Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (2000), CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame (2003), Baylor Athletics Hall of Fame (2007) and Texas Sports Hall of Fame (2010).

Individually, Mulkey has developed and produced some of the top players in women’s basketball history. At Baylor, she coached 19 different All-Americans to 85 honors by various entities, and eight players under her watch earned first-team All-America status by either the Associated Press, USBWA, WBCA or John Wooden selections.

Most recently, NaLyssa Smith captured the 2021 Wade Trophy as the nation’s top player. Smith was also a first team All-America and the winner of the Honda-Broderick Cup Award.

Other standouts at Baylor under Mulkey include Brittney Griner (2012, 2013) and Odyssey Sims (2014), who both won the Wade Trophy as the nation’s top college player. Griner also won the John Wooden Award in 2012 and 2013 along with the Naismith Trophy in 2012 and 2013 for nation’s top player. Griner won the National Defensive Player of the Year, awarded by the WBCA, three-straight seasons from 2011-13, while DiDi Richards took home the award in 2020. Richards also won the National Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2020 from Naismith.

Off the court, Mulkey has prepared her student-athletes for the next level of life or competition. Of all the players who have started and finished their careers at Baylor, those student-athletes have a 100 percent graduation rate. In addition, Baylor has had nine 1st-round draft picks to the WNBA, 19 WNBA draft picks overall, and dozens of her players have played professionally overseas.

Mulkey’s impact on the Baylor program saw the school break all-time attendance records year after year, and they have ranked among the Top 10 nationally in attendance nine times. Baylor ranked a program-high No. 4 in 2012-13, and the Lady Bears have eclipsed the 100,000-fans mark at home for the past 14 of the past 15 seasons. In 2011-12, Baylor drew a Ferrell Center record-breaking 166,593 fans and in 2012-13 set an average attendance record of 9,160 fans per game. Since Mulkey’s arrival, more than 2.1 million fans saw Baylor home games.

Before joining Baylor, Mulkey spent 19 years as either a student-athlete or coach at Louisiana Tech, building the Lady Techsters into a national powerhouse. During her tenure in Ruston, Mulkey was associated with 11 Final Four squads and three national championship teams. She has either played or coached in the national championship game on eight occasions.

Over her 15-year stint as an assistant and associate head coach at her alma mater, Louisiana Tech posted a 430-68 (.864) record and advanced to seven Final Fours. Mulkey held the title of associate head coach for her final four seasons. Her responsibilities at Tech included coordinating recruiting, tutoring Lady Techster guards, overseeing the players’ academic progress and running the summer camps. Because of her diligence, no Lady Techster was ever declared academically ineligible.

As a player, Mulkey led the Lady Techsters to a 130-6 (.956) record, two national titles and four Final Fours from 1980-84. During that time, the 5-foot-4 playmaker, known for her spectacular passes and French braids, also led Louisiana Tech to its first two national championships (1981 and 1982) and was a part of the USA’s Gold medal-winning team at both the 1984 Olympics and the 1983 Pan American Games.

Mulkey averaged 6.38 assists and 1.56 steals per game and currently ranks second on Tech’s all-time list in assists and 12th in steals.

In addition, the summa cum laude scholar was a two-time Academic All-American as a business major. In recognition of her success in the classroom and on the basketball court, Mulkey was inducted into the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America Hall of Fame in June 2003.

Her athletic career began at an early age. Mulkey, born and raised in Tangipahoa Parish, played Dixie Youth baseball as a 12-year old as well as two years of Pony League baseball and made the all-star team two of the three years. At Hammond High School, she led the basketball team to four-straight state championships, posted a 136-5 record and finished her career with a then-national record 4,075 points. She earned all-district, all-state and All-America honors each of her four years at Hammond High. She also graduated as her class’ valedictorian with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. Mulkey has a street named after her in her hometown of Tickfaw.

Born May 17, 1962, in Santa Ana, Calif., Mulkey has two children, daughter Makenzie (29) and son Kramer (26).

Makenzie (Robertson) Fuller served as associate director of basketball operations for the Lady Bears. She was a four-year letter winner on Baylor’s basketball team, and during her career the Lady Bears posted an impressive 140-10 record, which included eight Big 12 crowns and an NCAA national championship (2012).

Fuller, a three-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree, was named to both Baylor’s Dean’s List and the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll numerous times. She earned both a bachelor and master’s degree from Baylor and married former Baylor football and professional baseball player Clay Fuller in 2015. The couple had a son, Kannon Reid Fuller, in 2018, and is expecting a daughter, Sage Avery, in June.

Kramer attended LSU, where he became a fan favorite on the highly-touted Tiger baseball team. Known for his toughness, competitiveness, and knack for clutch performances, Robertson was a first team All-SEC shortstop and second team Louisville Slugger All-American in 2016, and garnered third-team Collegiate Baseball All-American, honorable mention Perfect Game All-American and second-team All-SEC accolades in 2017. After returning for his senior season and leading LSU back to the College World Series in 2017, which resulted in a runner-up finish, Kramer was selected in the fourth round of the MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. He’s currently a member of the Memphis Redbirds, the AAA affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Kim Mulkey Coaching Record 

Year School Position Record Postseason
2022-23 LSU Head Coach 34-2 NCAA National Champion
2021-22 LSU Head Coach 26-6 NCAA Second-Round
2020-21 Baylor Head Coach 28-3 NCAA Elite 8
2019-20 Baylor Head Coach 28-2 Big 12 RS Champions (No postseason due to COVID-19)
2018-19 Baylor Head Coach 37-1 NCAA National Champion
2017-18 Baylor Head Coach 33-2 NCAA Sweet 16
2016-17 Baylor Head Coach 33-4 NCAA Elite Eight
2015-16 Baylor Head Coach 36-2 NCAA Elite Eight
2014-15 Baylor Head Coach 33-4 NCAA Elite Eight
2013-14 Baylor Head Coach 32-5 NCAA Elite Eight
2012-13 Baylor Head Coach 34-2 NCAA Sweet 16
2011-12 Baylor Head Coach 40-0 NCAA National Champion
2010-11 Baylor Head Coach 34-3 NCAA Elite Eight
2009-10 Baylor Head Coach 27-10 NCAA Final Four
2008-09 Baylor Head Coach 29-6 NCAA Sweet 16
2007-08 Baylor Head Coach 25-7 NCAA Second Round
2006-07 Baylor Head Coach 26-8 NCAA Second Round
2005-06 Baylor Head Coach 26-7 NCAA Sweet 16
2004-05 Baylor Head Coach 33-3 NCAA National Champions
2003-04 Baylor Head Coach 26-9 NCAA Sweet 16
2002-03 Baylor Head Coach 24-11 WNIT Finals
2001-02 Baylor Head Coach 27-6 NCAA Second Round
2000-01 Baylor Head Coach 21-9 NCAA First Round
1999-00 Louisiana Tech Associate Head Coach 31-3 NCAA Elite Eight
1998-99 Louisiana Tech Associate Head Coach 30-3 NCAA Final Four
1997-98 Louisiana Tech Associate Head Coach 31-4 NCAA National Runner-Up
1996-97 Louisiana Tech Associate Head Coach 31-4 NCAA Sweet 16
1995-96 Louisiana Tech Assistant Coach 31-2 NCAA Elite Eight
1994-95 Louisiana Tech Assistant Coach 28-5 NCAA Sweet 16
1993-94 Louisiana Tech Assistant Coach 31-4 NCAA National Runner-Up
1992-93 Louisiana Tech Assistant Coach 26-6 NCAA Elite Eight
1991-92 Louisiana Tech Assistant Coach 20-10 NCAA First Round
1990-91 Louisiana Tech Assistant Coach 18-12 NCAA First Round
1989-90 Louisiana Tech Assistant Coach 32-1 NCAA Final Four
1988-89 Louisiana Tech Assistant Coach 32-4 NCAA Final Four
1987-88 Louisiana Tech Assistant Coach 32-2 NCAA Champions
1986-87 Louisiana Tech Assistant Coach 30-3 NCAA National Runner-Up
1985-86 Louisiana Tech Assistant Coach 27-5 NCAA Elite Eight

Louisiana Tech Record: 430-68 (.863)
Baylor Record: 632-104 (.859)
LSU Record: 60-8 (.882)
Head Coaching Record: 692-112 (.861)

Kim Mulkey Record as a Player 

Year School Record Postseason
1983-84 Louisiana Tech 30-3 NCAA Final Four
1982-83 Louisiana Tech 31-2 NCAA National Runner-Up
1981-82 Louisiana Tech 35-1 NCAA National Champions
1980-81 Louisiana Tech 34-0 AIAW National Champions

Collegiate Record: 130-6 (.956)