A Look at LSU Women's Basketball Meteoric Rise in Year One Under Kim Mulkey

To say the Kim Mulkey era is off to a dominant start is an understatement. Taking over a Tigers team that went 9-13 a season ago and catapulting them to 23-4 in year one is extraordinary.

Solidifying the No. 2 seed in the SEC tournament after a crucial victory over the Tennessee Volunteers Sunday, it’s all starting to come together for this squad.

Mulkey is a program changer. A culture shock. Her presence alone provides a calming effect for those around her on the basketball court. Rejuvenating this LSU team and getting the most out of her players has been the change of scenery Baton Rouge needed in the PMAC. Elevating the Tigers to a top-ten ranking for much of the season, it’s paved the way for years to come.

With the regular season in the rearview mirror and this group having high aspirations heading into postseason play, Mulkey knows the grit of this team is what has given them the edge all season long.

“I don't know when this is going to end,” Mulkey said after Sunday’s victory. “But this group just grinds. It knows how to work.”

A season ago, the Tigers struggled in crunch time and lost the close ball games routinely, but with the guidance of Mulkey down the stretch, it’s been a different story.

“To see them step up and win those ... in one of my first meetings with them, we talked about that,” Mulkey said. “I told them, ‘Now that you’re seniors, we’re going to put you in position to win those games.’ I guess they took me at my word. They sure have won a lot of them.”

Down one of their biggest scoring threats against Tennessee in Alexis Morris, it proved the depth of this roster is real as they eye the SEC tournament. Already securing their place in the NCAA Tournament, Mulkey might just rest her star guard with loftier goals in the Big Dance.

“We have to rest her and make sure we don’t do any damage,” Mulkey said. “It’s an MCL sprain. I don’t even know that I’m going to play her in the SEC tournament. I’m not a big proponent of the conference tournament unless you need it to get into the NCAA tournament. They don’t do anything for those that have already validated where they should be seeded.”

The Tigers success paired with Mulkey’s swagger is doing more than just win clutch games this season. It’s making Baton Rouge a destination for high caliber recruits wanting to play under the brightest lights that women’s college basketball has to offer.

Reeling in a flurry of elite prospects in the 2022 class and likely securing a few transfers along the way, it’s a new era for LSU basketball.

Signing four-star guard and McDonald’s All-American Flau’Jae Johnson to the 2022 recruiting class will only give this team an even more lethal scorer for next season, proving this first year isn’t just a fluke with so many seniors.

This chapter is just the beginning for Mulkey and the Tigers. Coming into the season with something to prove and displaying such a seismic shift in year one, the best is yet to come for this program. With such a proven leader in Mulkey leading the charge, the Tigers are here to stay and be a force in the SEC for years to come.