Kim Mulkey moves spotlight to LSU ahead coaching SEC semifinal after family death: 'It's not about me'

LSU took down Florida on Friday night in the SEC Tournament but the game’s biggest story occurred off the court. Head coach Kim Mulkey was away from the team due to an unexpected death in the family, leading Bob Starkey as the interim. Saturday brings a massive semifinal showdown against Texas and Mulkey will be back on the sideline.

Mulkey is attempting to keep the spotlight away from here through this. In a pregame interview, Mulkey handed out credit to Starkey and her players for finding a way to win against Florida. She knows everyone has her back and proves how close of a team LSU is.

“First of all, it’s not about me,” Mulkey said with ESPN’s Holly Rowe. “I’m so proud of the job my coaches did while I was out. Especially Bob Starkey. But just the players, how they’re responding to Flau’Jae not being on the floor, they’re having fun, they’re playing hard. Opportunity for other players that haven’t seen many minutes and that’s why you call it a team. Because when one is out, the rest pick up the slack.”

LSU will certainly be fighting for the coach as Mulkey’s attention returns to the court. A conference tournament championship is within reach, something the program has not won since 2003. They certainly would not be in this position without Starkey and the players, something Mulkey made sure to highlight.

Kim Mulkey addressed being away from LSU during SEC Tournament

LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey addressed her absence during the SEC Tournament due to a family death during the postgame press conference on Friday. The coach revealed it was quite the difficult week for her and her family.

Bob Starkey served as acting head coach during their tournament game against Florida. LSU got the win 101-87 to advance to the semifinals vs. Texas Saturday night. Mulkey was an open book about her absence. But she was glad to be back with her team.

“My week was awful. My mind still isn’t good. I don’t feel good, first of all. But we all deal with death,” Mulkey said. “I’ve dealt with a stillborn grandchild, but I was prepared for that. We’re prepared for our parents, for our grandparents. It’s the unexpected deaths that throw you for a loop.

“I was where I was supposed to be. I’m very, very proud. But as I told our team many times, I’ve told them many times, we could drop dead on that sideline and you should be able to coach yourselves. So I was very confident.”

On3’s Nick Kosko contribute to this report