Kim Mulkey calls for Bob Starkey to be in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

Kim Mulkey went to bat for Bob Starkey to be in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. Starkey, a long-time assistant coach, is an LSU legend and has been with Mulkey since the latter came to the school in 2022.

Since 1984, Starkey’s been an assistant or associate head coach with numerous programs. He started at West Virginia State as the men’s assistant before going to women’s basketball in 1988 with Marshall.

He’s had quite the career that’s Hall of Fame worthy according to Mulkey.

“I’ve got a lot of them out there that can be the next head coach here, I mean, I really do,” Mulkey said. “I can tell you who won’t be. It’s Bob Starkey … I think Bob and I, without discussing and we have a little plan that when one goes the other one may go because we just clicked … I know that’s not your question, but it’s time for him to be in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. And I’ve tried to quietly make phone calls and do stuff but enough is enough. It’s time and y’all put that out there.

“He is, in my recollection of this game, the only interim coach to ever take a team to a Final Four. And you don’t find people like Bob Starkey, who are so selfless and unselfish, that they know what their role is, and they don’t want to be that head coach.”

Mulkey referred to Starkey’s run in 2007 as the interim head coach of the LSU women’s team during the NCAA Tournament. Pokey Chatman resigned and stepped down immediately. 

Starkey promptly went 4-1 as the interim coach, leading the Tigers to the Final Four, and then said he had no desire to be the permanent head coach. 

That’s when Mulkey described Starkey as someone who is basically a second head coach on the sidelines during games.

“He does so many things that keep me in the game,” Mulkey said. “He really allows me to be lazy sometimes. Because when you start out in this business, you want to do it all because you don’t trust that it’s gonna get done the way you want it done. 

“Then you reach a point in your career that you need to surround yourself with people that are going to do it the way you want it done and Bob just does so much.”

Starkey joined LSU in 1990 as the men’s assistant coach until the 1998 season when he went to the women’s side. He was with the school until 2011 when he became the UCF assistant coach on the women’s team.

Following 10 seasons at Texas A&M beginning in 2012, and then one season at Auburn, Starkey returned to LSU under Mulkey.

Perhaps the Hall of Fame is in his future, especially if Mulkey has anything to say about it.