LSU's Kim Mulkey Wins AP National Coach of the Year Award

Mulkey went 26-6 with Lady Tigers in first season, builds foundation for future of program

Kim Mulkey has won a much deserved national award for her job in year one at LSU. The Lady Tigers head coach earned the AP National Coach of the Year award following a historic turnaround for the women's basketball program. 

It's the third time Mulkey has won this award, also earning it in 2012 and 2019 at Baylor but this one could perhaps being the most impactful considering where this LSU program was not too long ago. 

A year ago this time, the Lady Tigers were sitting at home wondering what the future of the program would look like after a nine win season left them out of any hopes of postseason play. LSU went 26-6 in its first season with Mulkey in charge and won an NCAA tournament game before being eliminated in the Round of 32 by Ohio State. 

Behind Mulkey and the senior leadership of this team, it was the start of building a long term foundation for the program that hadn't been seen in many years. 

“One of my most enjoyable years in my coaching career,” Mulkey said of her first year in Baton Rouge. “You can see the impact one program had on an entire university.”

Earlier this year Mulkey also surpassed the 650 win milestone, becoming the fastest to ever reach that mark in either men's or women's basketball. Last summer Mulkey was also inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame for her phenomenal college career at Louisiana Tech as well as her 20-year coaching career at Baylor. 

There's plenty to be excited about as this program welcomes in a highly touted recruiting class, headlines by Flou'jae Johnson, the nation's No. 1 player in the country. Where this program goes from here is going to come with plenty of excitement.