MiLaysia Fulwiley Asks 2-Word Question on Reason for LSU Transfer from South Carolina
The biggest transfer to occur during the last women's college basketball offseason was star guard MiLaysia Fulwiley transferring from Dawn Staley's South Carolina Gamecocks squad to Kim Mulkey's LSU Tigers team.
Fulwiley wanting out of South Carolina was fascinating in and of itself, and caused a lot of speculation about what might have gone wrong during her first two seasons playing for Staley. And the fact that she decided to transfer to LSU, which is one of South Carolina's biggest rivals in the SEC Conference, added further fascination.
When Staley was asked about whether she found Fulwiley's transfer surprising during a May 22 appearance on The Breakfast Club, she said, "Surprising? No. Being in this space, you come to expect the unexpected. I still have much love for MiLaysia, like much love. I want her happy. She came in, she said, 'I think I want to get into the transfer portal.' And I said, 'Okay. Well, you think, or you know?' And she said, 'I know.' And I said, 'Well, I only want you happy.'"
"I wish her the best... I do. Like, I really do," Staley added of Fulwiley.
MiLaysia Fulwiley Addresses Choice to Transfer to LSU From South Carolina
Fulwiley has been doing media at LSU over the past two days. On October 15, she made waves for her response to being asked what went into her decision to play for Kim Mulkey.
"I just wanted to go to a program that was also in the SEC, because I like the SEC. I didn't want to leave the SEC," Fulwiley said, per an X post from Cory Diaz. "And also wanted to go to a program where I could still compete for a national championship, and still play for a great coach, and a coach that kind of knows what they're doing. And I trust her."
#LSU PG MiLaysia Fulwiley discussing how the transition has gone so far in Baton Rouge and what factors went into her decision to play for Kim Mulkey, LSU.
— Cory Diaz (@ByCoryDiaz) October 15, 2025
Video credit: @ainslielee_ pic.twitter.com/PPoqdvaOku
This response went viral, largely because fans read too much into Fulwiley's comment about playing for a coach that knows what she's doing. Some took this as a perceived slight at Staley when that clearly wasn't what Fulwiley was trying to say.
Fulwiley also spoke on October 16. And she said, "I lot of people ask me why LSU. I'm like, 'Why not?'
"They're a great program, Kim, she's a great coach... When I was talking to [the coaching staff], I realized that's what I need. I need a group of people that believe in me and want to see me do better. Because I wanted better for myself," per an X post from Harrison Valentine.
In addressing choosing one of South Carolina's rival schools, Fulwiley added, "I just kind of told myself that I still wanted to compete for a national championship. I still wanted to be in the mix, I still wanted to be in the SEC, I still wanted to play for a great coach. So that's why I kind of landed here. I feel like LSU is a great program... I felt like I could be myself here, and that's what I did.”
MiLaysia Fulwiley: “A lot of people ask me why LSU. I say why not? I still wanted to compete for a national championship. I still wanted to be in the mix. I felt like I could be myself here.” pic.twitter.com/aecMcxdN3Z
— Harrison Valentine (@HValentineLSU) October 16, 2025
Fulwiley saying, "Why not?" when explaining her transfer decision is sure to turn heads.
Recommended Reading:
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.
Follow GrvntYoung