Alexis Morris paid her coach, Kim Mulkey, a huge compliment last week before the start of the women's NCAA tournament — the kind of compliment that, when I was Morris’ age, would have been like saying someone is “bad” when you meant they were very, very good.
“Coach Mulkey — she’s the OG in this league, in this game,” the LSU senior point guard said.
“OG,” for those who don’t know, means “original gangster.” And that means, in this context, highly respected and regarded.
Mulkey may not be universally liked. For example, there was that entire episode last fall regarding what she would or wouldn’t say about former Baylor star Brittney Griner languishing in a Russian prison cell, which was predictably polarizing and predictably misunderstood.
But Mulkey has to be respected. Her place in the game — and what she’s building at LSU right now — demands it.
LSU won two games at home to advance to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament, and the Tigers will face Utah at 4 p.m. Friday in the Greenville 2 regional semifinals on ESPN. This is the Tigers’ first Sweet 16 appearance since 2014.
This is Mulkey’s 16th Sweet 16 in 23 years as a head coach. She’s aiming for her 11th Elite Eight, then her fifth Final Four. The ultimate goal is a fourth NCAA championship.
In 23 years at LSU and Baylor, she has missed the NCAA tourney in only 2003 and 2020 (the latter tournament was canceled by COVID-19). Her teams never have failed to win at least 21 games in a season. She ended her Baylor career with 12 straight Sweet 16s.
Consider all of that for a moment, juxtaposed against the fact that this is LSU’s 15th Sweet 16 appearance as a program.
Mulkey often says LSU hasn’t arrived yet on her watch because it hasn’t won a championship. Not only has she arrived, she’s been waiting at the table, tapping her nails impatiently, having ordered an iced tea (Mulkey doesn’t drink alcohol) and eaten dinner. She's trying to rationalize something off the dessert menu.
“Coach Mulkey is a dedicated individual,” Morris said. “Her will to win is what makes her stand out as a coach. That’s why she can perform and produce and piece us together as a team in this era.
“Her will to win and her way to evolve and adjust to the new generation has been incredible.”
It’s remarkable that coaches such as Mulkey — or Brian Kelly, who arrived at LSU and promptly marched to the Southeastern Conference championship game — can adapt and still thrive in this new era after 20 or 30 years in. To say that name, image and likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal have turned college athletics on its head would be a disservice to turning things on their heads.
Mulkey not only adapted quickly — she brought in the nation’s top-rated transfer last offseason, All-American forward Angel Reese — but she also landed the No. 1 recruiting class in 2023.
LSU may not have arrived yet, according to Mulkey’s standard, but it’s closing fast. While the Tigers were starting to pack for the regional, their chances at cutting down nets for a trip to the Final Four became even more plausible.
On Monday night, No. 9-seeded Miami shocked Indiana, the region’s No. 1 seed, 70-68 in Bloomington. The Hurricanes take on No. 4 Villanova in Friday’s first regional semifinal. That makes the winner between No. 3 LSU and No. 2 Utah look like the favorite to win the regional and head to the Women’s Final Four in Dallas. (The Tigers are a 5-point favorite over the Utes.)
You figure the “OG” has to be a factor.