Mulkey to LSU

[Dillon77]

Mulkey and Muffett were the only two major coaches who didn't seem to want to schedule Dawn so looks like we got all the bases covered now.

I'm a bit intrigued by you bringing Muffet up, particularly when it has "...who didn't seem to want to schedule Dawn" at the center of the statement. Are you basing this on the fact that ND and South Carolina have only squared off three times (in two pre-/early season tourneys and that 66-65 ND win in the NCAAs)? Or something else? (If so, please let us know 'cause I've been missing something!)

During the MM-Dawn time frame, ND was in the Big East and ACC, so the Irish only had so many out-of-conference games on top of the early season tourneys. MM has never hesitated to take on tough out-of-conference rivals. She played Tennessee some 30 times, so she didn't duck the Vols, who were at or close to the top of the SEC at the time. She brought the Irish to Oregon State and the mid-major trap zone of the Dakotas. And, for the most part, continue to play UConn.

And, perhaps, neither MM or Dawn had no strategic/ recruiting need to do this. After all, ND gets a bunch of exposure playng in the Carolinas as a member of the ACC, while Dawn may not have any need to venture into the heart of B1G Country, where ND is really located.

 

[domerduck]

I'm a bit intrigued by you bringing Muffet up, particularly when it has "...who didn't seem to want to schedule Dawn" at the center of the statement. Are you basing this on the fact that ND and South Carolina have only squared off three times (in two preseason tourneys and that 66-65 ND win in the NCAAs)? Or something else? (If so, please let us know 'cause I've been missing something!)

During the MM-Dawn time frame, ND was in the Big East and ACC, so the Irish only had so many out-of-conference games on top of the early season tourneys. MM has never hesitated to take on tough out-of-conference rivals. She played Tennessee some 30 times, so she didn't duck the Vols, who were at or close to the top of the SEC at the time. She brought the Irish to Oregon State and the mid-major trap zone of the Dakotas. And, for the most part, continue to play UConn.

And, perhaps, neither MM or Dawn had no strategic/ recruiting need to do this. After all, ND gets a bunch of exposure playng in the Carolinas as a member of the ACC, while Dawn may not have any need to venture to the heart of B1G Country, where ND is really located.

Both Muffett and Dawn played Geno & UConn home & home and that is the team that needed the tougher games since UConn was left out of the Power 5 Party when Big East football imploded. I was always hoping ND would have avoided UConn when ND moved to the ACC, but give Muffet credit she never avoided tough games. Her and Tara of the PAC12 have been consistent taking on tough foes and helping their conference improve. The Big East was the toughest conference when there were those Geno/Muffet wars & Cuse, Rutger, & L'ville were in the mix. The ACC got significantly better when ND joined and Cuse/L'ville followed.

You are right to stick up for her. I guess too many non-Domers hate Muffet for some reason, But since this is a Kim Mulkey thread, I hope KIm and LSU kick the Gamecocks down a notch or 2 in the SEC.

 

[Dillon77]

You are right to stick up for her. I guess too many non-Domers hate Muffet for some reason, But since this is a Kim Mulkey thread, I hope KIm and LSU kick the Gamecocks down a notch or 2 in the SEC.

Kim, Geno, Muffet, Dawn, etc. are all very strong leaders who have distinctive personality traits: Some of which are admired, even revered; some of which not so much.

One of the things, I believe, you can't get after is MM's setting out to play strong schedules. Your team only gets better by playing tough opponents. That has a ripple effect on conferences such as the ACC. Now Coach Mulkey is hardly known for packing her early season schedule with such opponents ("who are these teams?" to phrase Butch Cassidy), but she does drop in some mid-season toughies.

In the long run, I think it will be good for the SEC (darn it), as Kim presses Dawn and the entire conference. We'll see how younger coaches at Georgia and Tennessee (and Vandy, now?) respond to those two leaders pushing the envelope, along with the constant inventiveness of Gary Blair. Should be interesting.

BTW, the band will play on at South Bend and Storrs as UConn and ND resume their rivalry. It can only help Niele and her charges to go up against one of the best.

 

[GreatValue]

Interesting read

Kim Mulkey’s exit from Baylor is a result of strain, fatigue and pettiness | Opinion

The Hall of Fame coach built a national power in Waco, but the two sides had finally grown tired of each other.

amp.star-telegram.com

 

[bballnut90]

Interesting read

Kim Mulkey’s exit from Baylor is a result of strain, fatigue and pettiness | Opinion

The Hall of Fame coach built a national power in Waco, but the two sides had finally grown tired of each other.

amp.star-telegram.com

At 2.8m is Kim the highest paid coach in WCBB now?

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Both Muffett and Dawn played Geno & UConn home & home and that is the team that needed the tougher games since UConn was left out of the Power 5 Party when Big East football imploded. I was always hoping ND would have avoided UConn when ND moved to the ACC, but give Muffet credit she never avoided tough games. Her and Tara of the PAC12 have been consistent taking on tough foes and helping their conference improve. The Big East was the toughest conference when there were those Geno/Muffet wars & Cuse, Rutger, & L'ville were in the mix. The ACC got significantly better when ND joined and Cuse/L'ville followed.

You are right to stick up for her. I guess too many non-Domers hate Muffet for some reason, But since this is a Kim Mulkey thread, I hope KIm and LSU kick the Gamecocks down a notch or 2 in the SEC.

I just said that they were the only two powers that didn't schedule Dawn in non-conference.

I didn't mean to insinuate they were scared, just apparently uninterested.

 

[Txhoopsalot]

Interesting read

Kim Mulkey’s exit from Baylor is a result of strain, fatigue and pettiness | Opinion

The Hall of Fame coach built a national power in Waco, but the two sides had finally grown tired of each other.

amp.star-telegram.com

"Mulkey, 58, should have ended her career at Baylor and been granted some type of “head coach emerita” status, like Marsha Sharp at Texas Tech."

Oh, so sorry Mr. Engel. I Guess Coach Kim Mulkey is not ready to retire and she intends to prove it! Please watch Mulkey speak at the LSU introductory press conference. Does this look and sound like a woman who wants to make pretty PR videos and play with her grandchildren full time? I don't think so. Maybe leaving Baylor was not her first choice just as leaving LA Tech was not her first choice. That just feeds her competitive fire. Mulkey intends to win a national championship at LSU, which would cement her place as one of the most successful women's college basketball coaches in the history of the game.

 

[SimpleDawg]

The Kim left Baylor thread has reached 135 replies on the Mississippi State board. Less than Volnation, but I'm sure nobody else is talking about it to that extent.

Some people are saying NMP is gonna get chewed out by Mulkey and a super strong SEC in the coming future.

 

[SECbbfan24]

Kim left Baylor thread has reached 135 replies on the Mississippi State board. Less than Volnation, but I'm sure nobody else is talking about it.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

Both Muffett and Dawn played Geno & UConn home & home and that is the team that needed the tougher games since UConn was left out of the Power 5 Party when Big East football imploded. I was always hoping ND would have avoided UConn when ND moved to the ACC, but give Muffet credit she never avoided tough games. Her and Tara of the PAC12 have been consistent taking on tough foes and helping their conference improve. The Big East was the toughest conference when there were those Geno/Muffet wars & Cuse, Rutger, & L'ville were in the mix. The ACC got significantly better when ND joined and Cuse/L'ville followed.

You are right to stick up for her. I guess too many non-Domers hate Muffet for some reason, But since this is a Kim Mulkey thread, I hope KIm and LSU kick the Gamecocks down a notch or 2 in the SEC.

She will win her share of games, but won't be able to recruit with Dawn and Jolene. The road to the SEC Championship still runs through Columbia.

 

[Go/huskies]

She will win her share of games, but won't be able to recruit with Dawn and Jolene. The road to the SEC Championship still runs through Columbia.

I’m sure Kim will get her share of elite recruits, she’s a big name coach, has already got players from the SEC area when she was at Baylor, and LSU was a winning program at one point in time.

 

[Dwilliams02]

She will win her share of games, but won't be able to recruit with Dawn and Jolene. The road to the SEC Championship still runs through Columbia.

Kim will be recruiting from Texas to Florida. She will be fine. SC really don't get their stockpile of talent from Texas.


Only speaking on the behalf of LSU recruiting territory. As good as Baylor was. She was the reason why they got that talent. Baylor isn't exactly a hot territory compared to Texas and A&M. So Kim knows how to get her talent. LSU is a much better destination. Nikki just didn't take advantage of it

 

[SECbbfan24]

Nikki just didn't take advantage of it

All she had to do was serve the recruits gumbo.

 

[nwhoopfan]

1st SEC National champion was Bama 2012 and Florida won it 2014/15 which to me is pretty recent. I've noticed the SEC teams getting better to compete with the PAC12 teams who still have the most recent championship with UCLA getting their 12th overall in 2019. Arizona, ASU, Cal, Oregon, & Washington have all made the final 4s the last 10 years along with perenial power UCLA, For SEC beyond Bama & Fla, Auburn, LSU, Tennessee, & Georgia have been pretty strong. The other 3 Power Conferences seem to have only 1 really strong team: Oklahoma Big12, FSU-ACC, & Michigan -B10.

Oklahoma still has more Championships than the SEC combined. UCLA and Arizona have probably about half of the total Championships just between the 2 of them. Never mind that Arizona St., Washington and Cal have combined for more Championships than the SEC has. Also have to note they haven't won a Title in 5 years. I've not convinced of the SEC being a rising power in softball. I'll be shocked if anyone other than UCLA or Oklahoma claims the crown this season.

 

[DefenseBB]

I just said that they were the only two powers that didn't schedule Dawn in non-conference.

I didn't mean to insinuate they were scared, just apparently uninterested.

Duly noted, but so what? ND played and plays a pretty good OOC, Kim seems a tad light but has played UConn sporadically over the years.
Is Dawn all of a sudden a squad teams need to aspire to play?

Honestly I am very intrigued to see this 2 woman act in the SEC as everyone else will be playing for 3rd. Dawn’s chip on the shoulder will not play well with Kim so I am all ready.
..

 

[Vowelguy]

I just said that they were the only two powers that didn't schedule Dawn in non-conference.

I didn't mean to insinuate they were scared, just apparently uninterested.

How do you know it wasnt Dawn who didn't schedule them?

 

[Vowelguy]

Interesting read

Kim Mulkey’s exit from Baylor is a result of strain, fatigue and pettiness | Opinion

The Hall of Fame coach built a national power in Waco, but the two sides had finally grown tired of each other.

amp.star-telegram.com

lol that a 23% increase is a "small bump in salary"

People have this strange obsession with wanting decisions to boil down to a single factor. Do they ever? Was it solely about money? Was it solely about going back to LA? Of course not.

But if Washington offered her 2.8M or LSU offered her 1M, I'm sure she would not have moved.

It was everything. There was tension at Baylor. AND THEN her home state flagship U offered her a boatload of $. A perfect storm of events.

 

[Puppy Love]

Puppy Love said:
Has there been any word on how well Matthew Mitchell is recovering from his injury? I’d love to hope that some day he would be well enough to take over a top program.

Why on earth would you want that? Or were you not around for his patented forty minutes of fouling approach to coaching?

Sheeeesh...maybe because he retired at the prime of a pretty successful career because of an injury. Maybe because I’m a decent person and would wish anyone the best. Maybe because he’s one of the few people with a resume that is Baylor quality.

 

[TC22]

Duly noted, but so what? ND played and plays a pretty good OOC, Kim seems a tad light but has played UConn sporadically over the years.
Is Dawn all of a sudden a squad teams need to aspire to play?

Honestly I am very intrigued to see this 2 woman act in the SEC as everyone else will be playing for 3rd. Dawn’s chip on the shoulder will not play well with Kim so I am all ready.
..

Even before Dawn had good teams she would play the best teams she could find. Her theory is you don’t get better playing lesser teams. That’s how the series with UConn got started.
It’s going to be very interesting to see the dynamic between two strong personalities in the SEC. Although there have Been some good rivals and the fan bases can get snippy, the coaches for the most part all seem to respect each other. 🙂. Enter Kim let me stir the pot for you Mulkey. Should be facinating. I’m sure there will be a loud and proud crowd for the LSU game next year In Columbia. 💥💥💥💥. I’m not a Mulkey fan at all.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

Even before Dawn had good teams she would play the best teams she could find. Her theory is you don’t get better playing lesser teams. That’s how the series with UConn got started.
It’s going to be very interesting to see the dynamic between two strong personalities in the SEC. Although there have Been some good rivals and the fan bases can get snippy, the coaches for the most part all seem to respect each other. 🙂. Enter Kim let me stir the pot for you Mulkey. Should be facinating. I’m sure there will be a loud and proud crowd for the LSU game next year In Columbia. 💥💥💥💥. I’m not a Mulkey fan at all.

I dislike Mulkey so much, I'm actually concerned I won't keep my cool during that game. I guess I did when Baylor played in Columbia in 2019, but we didn't have a great team that year, so it wasn't close.

 

[noirwestern]

Puppy Love said:
Has there been any word on how well Matthew Mitchell is recovering from his injury? I’d love to hope that some day he would be well enough to take over a top program.

Sheeeesh...maybe because he retired at the prime of a pretty successful career because of an injury. Maybe because I’m a decent person and would wish anyone the best. Maybe because he’s one of the few people with a resume that is Baylor quality.

You scribbled a little much between my lines. No matter. I have nothing whatsoever against him as a person. As a coach? I found his approach a cross between desperate and detestable and find it hard to believe that anyone who likes the women's game would want to see it replicated anywhere else.

 

[SimpleDawg]

Oklahoma still has more Championships than the SEC combined. UCLA and Arizona have probably about half of the total Championships just between the 2 of them. Never mind that Arizona St., Washington and Cal have combined for more Championships than the SEC has. Also have to note they haven't won a Title in 5 years. I've not convinced of the SEC being a rising power in softball. I'll be shocked if anyone other than UCLA or Oklahoma claims the crown this season.

SEC has more entitled fanbases across the board. Alabama and Florida fans in softball are like Mississippi State and South Carolina fans in women's basketball. They're not historically the best ever in their sport but they want to act like it.

Arizona, Oklahoma, and UCLA dominate the sport. But then... those I named are among the few who really cares about the game, tbh.

 

[Vowelguy]

You scribbled a little much between my lines. No matter. I have nothing whatsoever against him as a person. As a coach? I found his approach a cross between desperate and detestable and find it hard to believe that anyone who likes the women's game would want to see it replicated anywhere else.

In the 26 years before him, KY made the NCAAs 6 times and the NIT 3.
In his 12 non Covid years, they made the NCAAs 9 times and the NIT 2. He was an effective successful coach.

 

[noirwestern]

In the 26 years before him, KY made the NCAAs 6 times and the NIT 3.
In his 12 non Covid years, they made the NCAAs 9 times and the NIT 2. He was an effective successful coach.

Still dodging the issue. Had officials not grown tired of blowing their whistles he wouldn't have been quite so successful. If it's not too much trouble, track a few of their games down. It doesn't have to be ones vs UConn. Any old game will do.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Duly noted, but so what? ND played and plays a pretty good OOC, Kim seems a tad light but has played UConn sporadically over the years.
Is Dawn all of a sudden a squad teams need to aspire to play?

Honestly I am very intrigued to see this 2 woman act in the SEC as everyone else will be playing for 3rd. Dawn’s chip on the shoulder will not play well with Kim so I am all ready.
..

They certainly have very different views and are very willing to share them.

Both can say not quite the right thing after losses so I could see things getting heated.

I should keep my mental notes on scheduling to myself, I guess. It was mainly just making a note that another big name was going on the schedule who hadn't been there in the past. It had nothing to do with lack of respect or fear, just an observation. Notre Dame and Baylor can play who they want. It didn't bother me. I just noted that they didn't and would have liked to play while they were at their peaks. Obviously, they may have felt no need to do it. That's fine.

But for what it's worth, I think that South Carolina is a program that a lot of folks would aspire to play these days.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

How do you know it wasnt Dawn who didn't schedule them?

I don't.

Maybe Dawn can't stand Mulkey and didn't schedule her for that reason despite being begged to do it. Maybe Mulkey could not care less about playing South Carolina.

Regardless, Mulkey is on the schedule now, which was the whole point of the comment.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

In the 26 years before him, KY made the NCAAs 6 times and the NIT 3.
In his 12 non Covid years, they made the NCAAs 9 times and the NIT 2. He was an effective successful coach.

I think people get a little too upset with chippy teams. They're good rivals.

They're easy to dislike, hard to defeat, and great fun to beat.

It's just a game in the end. They're not serial killers.

 

[Jackalope]

lol that a 23% increase is a "small bump in salary"

People have this strange obsession with wanting decisions to boil down to a single factor. Do they ever? Was it solely about money? Was it solely about going back to LA? Of course not.

But if Washington offered her 2.8M or LSU offered her 1M, I'm sure she would not have moved.

It was everything. There was tension at Baylor. AND THEN her home state flagship U offered her a boatload of $. A perfect storm of events.

There is one thing that might have added to the perfect storm of Events. It looks like she might get a very sweet Louisiana state employee pension. She had 15 years of service at Louisiana Tech. Assuming she puts in 5 more years of service at LSU and she had contributed 7.5% of her salary in all the years she spent as a state employee. The retirement formula would be "2.5% times creditable years of service (inclusive of leave credit) times the average salary for your thirty-six highest successive months". Say her new base salary is $2 million and the rest performance bonuses. That would be a $1 million yearly state pension that she only gets if she works at a Louisiana state position! (info from Louisiana State Employees Retirement System (LASERS) ). Alternatively she could be covered by a plan from TIAA, and the specifics of that plan don't seem to be available.

Now she also worked 21 years at Baylor and she is over 55. It looks like she will also be covered by a retirement pension from Baylor! Assuming the same type of formula, she might be getting $1 million a year from Baylor.

So, go home to Louisiana, work for 5 more years, and then possibly get $2 million a year in retirement from TWO pensions. No wonder she left Baylor!

 

[DefenseBB]

Even before Dawn had good teams she would play the best teams she could find. Her theory is you don’t get better playing lesser teams. That’s how the series with UConn got started.
It’s going to be very interesting to see the dynamic between two strong personalities in the SEC. Although there have Been some good rivals and the fan bases can get snippy, the coaches for the most part all seem to respect each other. 🙂. Enter Kim let me stir the pot for you Mulkey. Should be facinating. I’m sure there will be a loud and proud crowd for the LSU game next year In Columbia. 💥💥💥💥. I’m not a Mulkey fan at all.

The comment wasn’t about Dawn’s willingness to play to teams. It was the inference that “top teams need to play Dawn- specifically Muffet and Kim”
Now our SC colleague also intimidated all the other top teams play SC which also is not correct. With the spreading of the top talent AND the depth of talent continuing to grow, creating a more stratified top 10-15 group of teams, it will be impossible for all the top teams to play each other. When it was on 4, 5 or 6 teams regularly (think Stanford, UConn, ND, Baylor and SC; or in ‘05-14 era of Substituting Tenn for SC) it was easier for those squads to play.
Now add Oregon, Texas A&M, Texas, Arizona, Oregon State (why does he get a pass on his scheduling?), Maryland and UCLA to name just a few who have all done well in the NCAAT and in conference play, it’s that much more spread out. I would argue it’s easier to schedule good teams as there are so many now. To say any one of those teams HAS to play Dawn is silly.

 

[DefenseBB]

Lobo seems pretty optimistic about LSU's return to prominence.

Just based on your posing the comment, what is your view- do you think Kim will elevate LSU back into the National Title discussion?
My view is yes, whether she wins a title is up for debate as that is incredibly hard to do and no Coach has ever won a NCAA title at two different schools.