Women's Fastbreak On SI

LSU Coach Kim Mulkey Compliments Caitlin Clark By Bidding Her Good Riddance

LSU Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey is grateful for no more Caitlin Clark-related headaches.

Grant Young

LSU women's basketball coach, Kim Mulkey, during their game against Grambling Sunday afternoon, December 8, 2024, at the Brookshire Grocery Arena in Bossier City.
LSU women's basketball coach, Kim Mulkey, during their game against Grambling Sunday afternoon, December 8, 2024, at the Brookshire Grocery Arena in Bossier City. / Henrietta Wildsmith/The Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tuesday has been coronation of sorts for Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark.

Of course, this is because Clark was named the Time Athlete of the Year for 2024, which is one of the very highest honors an athlete can achieve; let alone for someone who's just 22 years old and has an entire career ahead of them.

Clark has received her metaphorical flowers from countless members of the women's basketball community. This includes current Fever teammates, WNBA opponents, and even some coaches she has played against in the past.

One such coach is the legendary Kim Mulkey, who faced Clark in two consecutive NCAA Tournaments.

First, Mulkey's (and Angel Reese's) Tigers squad beat Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2023 NCAA National Championship game.

Then Clark got the last laugh by knocking Reese and Mulkey out of the 2024 NCAA Tournament when they played in the Elite Eight.

Now that Clark is in the WNBA, Mulkey will never have to face her again. And Mulkey revealed how thrilled she was about that fact on Tuesday.

When Blake Hornstein of Hawkeye HQ asked Mulkey about Clark winning Time Athlete of the Year and about Clark's impact on women's sports, Mulkey (who appeared to be recruiting in Iowa) said, "I can describe it firsthand, having played her two years in a row in the playoffs: She's a generational talent," Mulkey said.

Clark dropped 41 points on LSU in the 2024 Elite Eight.

"She's a young lady that you just can't take your eyes off of when you watch her play," Mulkey continued. "And I know all of Iowa's proud of her, as they should be. And when we played her in the playoffs this year, I said 'Thank goodness I don't have to see you anymore.'

"And that's about as high a compliment as I can pay a young lady," Mulkey concluded.

We don't blame Mulkey for being grateful about never facing No. 22 again.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

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.

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