Emily Ward Season 2025-26
Former LSU player and 2023 National Champion Emily Ward has been named Director of Women’s Basketball Operations, head coach Kim Mulkey announced on Aug. 1, 2025.
Ward, a native of Bossier City, La., comes back to her alma mater to join Mulkey’s staff after playing at LSU for four seasons (2019-23). Ward began her time in Baton Rouge as a preferred walk-on and closed her playing career as a fan favorite and team captain during the Tigers’ national championship season. She was awarded a scholarship during shootaround prior to LSU’s first game of the season on Nov. 7, 2022.
Following her brief stint away from the program, Ward is returning to LSU women’s basketball to make an impact on the team’s success in a different way.
During her time away from the women’s basketball program, Ward served as the Director of Business Development for Louisiana Economic Development, which is based in Baton Rouge. Primarily, she led initiatives to attract domestic and international companies to invest and expand in the state of Louisiana.
Ward’s previous experience in the athletic department includes her time in the Athletics Communications department, where she completed an internship under the Associate Athletics Director for Communications Michael Bonnette. Her role involved filming and editing videos for the LSU women’s basketball social media accounts, clipping in-game highlights, and assisting in the organization of coach and player press conferences.
During the 2023-24 season, Ward joined the voice of LSU women’s basketball Patrick Wright to provide color analysis for several games the Tigers played. She highlighted team history, players and used her expertise for the game to bring the audience closer to the action through the radio.
Ward graduated from LSU with her bachelor’s of art in mass communication with a concentration in digital advertising in December 2022. She minored in business while working toward her undergraduate degree. Ward elected to pursue her master’s of science in human leadership and human resource development, which she received in May 2024.