Kim Mulkey Opens Up on MiLaysia Fulwiley's Role at LSU
When news broke earlier this year that former South Carolina Gamecocks star guard MiLaysia Fulwiley was transferring to Kim Mulkey's LSU Tigers team, there was a lot of fascination about what Fulwiley's role with the Tigers would be.
A common narrative among fans during Fulwiley's sophomore season with the Gamecocks was that she wasn't in Dawn Staley's starting lineup. This frustrated many, as they felt like she could make more of an impact in the starting five and perhaps deserved that role over the upperclassmen guards who were ahead of her in the depth chart.
It's unclear whether this role impacted Fulwiley's desire to transfer. What's for sure is that despite LSU also being loaded with talented guards (including Flau'jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams), the expectation was that Fulwiley would start at LSU.
Kim Mulkey's Honest Stance on MiLaysia Fulwiley's Role Turns Heads
However, Kim Mulkey is not one to give handouts. Fulwiley will have to earn every minute she receives with her new team, which Mulkey conveyed when speaking with the media after LSU defeated Mississippi College by a score of 146-48 (yes, you're reading that right) in an exhibition game on October 23 — a game in which Fulwiley was not in the starting lineup.
"God blessed [Fulwiley] with speed and quickness. Blessed her with unbelievable hand-eye coordination," Mulkey said, per an X post from Cory Diaz. "Those are the things that you never want to take away from her.
"Learning point guard is probably a little challenging right now, because she has always been the recipient of the pass on the wing. And now... I want Lay to be able to just be able to go to either position comfortably. And she's not comfortable yet," Mulkey continued. "Defensively... she can really harass the ball handler. I want her to extend her minutes. I want her to understand, 'You need to play more minutes for longer periods of time.'
Here’s Kim Mulkey on MiLaysia Fulwiley and her development.
— Cory Diaz (@ByCoryDiaz) October 24, 2025
“She’s not comfortable yet (at PG). I need her to understand to extend her minutes, she needs more time.
“But nothing surprised me about what she did.”#LSU pic.twitter.com/DVwkmQUxMn
"But nothing surprised me about what [Fulwiley] did. I talked to her about that one long shot she took... I said, 'You took that 'cause you just wanted to take it and see if it went in. What if the game was tied? What if we were down two?' She goes, 'Coach, I got you. I know what you're getting ready to say.' I said, 'Okay. Understand circumstances in the game.'"
At another point, Mulkey said, "There was no, 'MiLaysia, come here, you gonna start. I promise you, you gonna start.' No, no, no. That's not how it operates. I play to win, and Jada [Richard] is gonna give her every bit of what she needs to give her to compete at that position," per an X post @alijahromeo_.
Yall just get on here and LIE…. Lay left because she wanted too nothing else! pic.twitter.com/bhmK429Ahc
— ALIJAHROMEO🧞 (@alijahromeo_) October 24, 2025
It sounds like Fulwiley's role at LSU is still uncertain as the regular season continues to creep closer.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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