Consecutive losses to Kentucky and Vanderbilt momentarily called LSU’s potential against strong opponents into question. Kim Mulkey and her Tigers laid those concerns to rest when they beat Texas, which was ranked second at the time, and Oklahoma. The latter just beat South Carolina last week.
Two of LSU’s leading scorers and playmakers are familiar faces for Tigers fans. Flau’jae Johnson is in her fourth season with the team, and Mikaylah Williams is in her third. Newcomers like transfers MiLaysia Fulwiley and Amiya Joyner and freshmen Grace Knox and Zakiyah Johnson have also contributed significantly to LSU’s success.
The player it all starts with, according to Kim Mulkey, isn’t a familiar face in the way Johnson and Williams are, but she also isn’t a complete newcomer. Jada Richard is in her second season with the team, but she is playing a much bigger role than she did as a freshman. Most times, Richard starts at the point guard spot and guards some of the best perimeter players in the game. She has grown a lot over the course of the season. Kim Mulkey pinpointed her new understanding of how to operate as the team’s point guard as one of her biggest developments.
“You never take away scoring from a point guard that can score,” Mulkey said after her team’s win over Florida. “Odyssey Sims comes to mind. She was one of mine at Baylor. She could score it at will, but you make sure you prioritize and let her understand: your job is to be the quarterback and the coach on that floor. You have to know every position on the floor. Who can catch this pass? Who can catch that pass? Screaming out what we’re doing offensively, defensively. Make the first pass to get us into our offense. But if opportunity arises, you shoot it. And I think Jada now understands that more. I think the team understands that more.”
Jada Richard has become an integral piece in Kim Mulkey’s system
As a freshman, Jada Richard averaged only 6.7 minutes per game. She only played more than ten minutes six times all season long. Flau’jae Johnson, Mikaylah Williams, Shayeann Day-Wilson, Kailyn Gilbert, Last-Tear Poa, and Mjracle Sheppard all averaged more minutes in the guard rotation than her. As a result of those limited minutes, Richard only averaged 2.8 points per game.
Now, she is a key piece in Mulkey’s rotation. She averages the third-most minutes behind Williams and Johnson and started all but one game. Richard’s production has improved significantly in her new role. 21 games into the season she is averaging 9 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.4 steals.
She cracked the 20-point mark twice in wins over Oklahoma and Florida, marking a strong turnaround from earlier in the season. Richard only scored 23 points over her first six games. She also dished out 19 assists over that stretch, though, as she still had to find a balance between scoring and focusing on making plays for her teammates.
Richard has also been a core element of LSU’s defense, guarding some of the top guards in the game very well. Against Florida, Richard guarded Liv McGill, who came into the game as the fifth-leading scorer in the country, held her well below her average, and still dropped 20 points on the other end. She did the same when she guarded Oklahoma’s freshman guard Aaliyah Chavez. Having another guard who can act as a defensive stopper, initiate offense, and score takes a lot of pressure off Johnson and Williams.