Hall of Fame women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey leaves Baylor for LSU
Hall of Fame women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey, who won three national championships in 21 seasons at Baylor, is leaving for LSU.
LSU announced the blockbuster hire on Sunday.
Mulkey, who grew up in Tickfaw, Louisiana, will be introduced in a news conference on Monday.
"Kim Mulkey is a champion and a Hall of Famer, and we are thrilled to welcome her home," said LSU director of athletics Scott Woodward in a statement. "Her accomplishments are unprecedented, her passion is unrivaled, and her commitment to winning in all aspects of life -- in the classroom, on the court, and in the community -- is unparalleled. We look forward to working with her as she instills that championship culture at LSU."
Mulkey, 58, took over a Baylor program in 2000 that had never reached the NCAA tournament. The Lady Bears have missed the tournament only once since then and won the national championship in 2005, 2012 and 2019.
Mulkey played at Louisiana Tech, where she later spent 15 years as an assistant and associate head coach.
She won a gold medal as a member of the 1984 Olympic Team and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame last year.
"We are grateful for the more than two decades Kim Mulkey poured into building Baylor women's basketball to one of the nation's premier programs," Baylor director of athletics Mack B. Rhoades said in a statement. "Coach Mulkey's sustained success is one of the most remarkable runs in college basketball history, and her accomplishments are worthy of the Naismith Hall of Fame induction she'll experience later this year."
Rhodes added that the Bears have launched a national search for their next head coach.
Mulkey takes over for Nikki Fargas, who stepped down on Saturday after 10 seasons at LSU. According to a statement, Fargas was leaving to pursue another opportunity. While LSU did not disclose where Fargas was headed next, she has been in negotiations to take over as team president of the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces, people familiar with those discussions have told The Associated Press.
