LSU's head coach Kim Mulkey took over at Baylor in 2000, a full 26 years ago. Before that, Mulkey was a powerhouse collegiate player in her own right, and helped lead Louisiana Tech to the Final Four each year.
Mulkey knows a thing or two about basketball, a fact that's astoundingly obvious to anyone who encounters or watches her on the floor. She also knows how to talk to and about her players, and that's something that goes back to her own days as an athlete.
While speaking to reporters following LSU's commanding 116-58 win over Jacksonville during the first round of March Madness, Mulkey addressed the idea of putting in players off the bench versus a pretty compelling reframe: she can only play five players at a time, period. As Mulkey put it, "I can only start five. So I have to make that decision. I don't really like using the word 'bench' because I remember when I played I came off the bench and I never liked that. I'm as good as those out there on the floor. She just has to pick five at a time."
LSU has a strong freshman core to work with for years to come
Mulkey's comment might not seem like that big of a deal, but to a lot of players on and off her team, that kind of distinction means a lot. Most collegiate players — and likely most professional players, too — want to know their coach believes in them. That's true if they play 40 minutes of a game and it's true if they play 30 seconds of a game. Having the full weight of a coach behind an athlete can inspire some pretty incredible performances, and that's something LSU and Mulkey can absolutely attest to.
Mulkey's roster boasts five freshman, and assuming they all return next year, that's five players who have seen more time this season than they might have at another program — five players who may have come off the bench from time to time, but not because that's a bad thing. As she said, Mulkey can only play five at a time.
While speaking about that young core, Mulkey acknowledged that they've had a freshman season that's a little on the unique side. "Sometimes in a program like ours, and a lot of programs that are elite, freshmen usually have to learn new roles and wait their turn," she said. "This freshman group didn't. They're significantly affecting our team from the time they got here."
The Tigers are on the up, and will next face Texas Tech on March 22.