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Is Baylor’s Kim Mulkey interested in the LSU men’s job?

By Kim Doss

STORRS, CONNECTICUT- NOVEMBER 17: Baylor Head coach Kim Mulkey on the sideline during her sides loss during the UConn Huskies Vs Baylor Bears NCAA Women's Basketball game at Gampel Pavilion, on November 17th, 2016 in Storrs, Connecticut. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
STORRS, CONNECTICUT- NOVEMBER 17: Baylor Head coach Kim Mulkey on the sideline during her sides loss during the UConn Huskies Vs Baylor Bears NCAA Women's Basketball game at Gampel Pavilion, on November 17th, 2016 in Storrs, Connecticut. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images) /
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Will Kim Mulkey make history and come home?

LSU’s Will Wade isn’t officially out of a job yet. That hasn’t stopped people from speculating on his possible replacement, though.

Both the Baylor women and the LSU men are on their way to the Sweet Sixteens of their respective NCAA Tournaments, but the Louisiana media has suggested that there is interest from Mulkey.

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Unfortunately, these stories are all secondhand and anonymous. After having their on-air talent suggest the possibility, 1130 AM “The Tiger” in Shreveport, quoted a “source” who claimed to have spoken to Mulkey.

"But it wasn’t just that Fletcher brought the idea up, a source contacted Mulkey while the show was on the air, and she responded.Mulkey told the source that she responded with “I like that”.It didn’t end there, the source continued with responses from Mulkey, who continued to express her interest in the idea by saying “I know the state, I know X’s and O’s, intent, passionate, what’s the negative about doing it?”"

It isn’t the first time this has been suggested by the Louisiana media, either. Before Will Wade was hired by LSU, New Orleans media was making the same suggestion.

Of course, the media has been floating Mulkey-to-the-SEC stories for over a decade, whether those SEC openings were in women’s basketball or men’s. She has remained at Baylor. Would she be interested now?

Perhaps she is. And, undoubtedly, someone will eventually pull the trigger and hire a top female coach to run a men’s program.

Her ties to the state are undeniable. Mulkey is a native of Louisiana — even having a street named after her in her hometown of Tickfaw — and starred at Louisiana Tech in the 1980s. She later worked the sidelines for the Lady Techsters as an assistant coach. Her son also played baseball at LSU.

Her track record as a head coach is impeccable, as well. Since she arrived in Waco for the 2000-01 season, she has led the program from irrelevance to the top of the sport.

Baylor had put together 13 losing seasons over the previous 17 years. They ended the 1999-2000 season at 7-20, with only two wins in the Big XII. They have since won two national titles, and are pushing for a third as the No. 1 overall seed in the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

That record certainly makes her a strong candidate for any program looking to hire a coach. The question is whether she’s truly interested in the men’s game, with all of its extra distractions — especially at a school facing the kind of scrutiny LSU is under.

An even bigger question is whether LSU is willing to take what many will consider a risk by being the first to hire a female head coach. While there will be quarters that welcome and celebrate such a move, there’s no doubt that there will be other quarters that don’t. Would such a hire put more stress on the program right now with Wade at the center of the corruption trial?

At this point, the answers to both of those questions are still up in the air.

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