Kim Mulkey reveals her role in Angel Reese, Hailey Van Lith potentially returning

LSU celebrated its seniors Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith with a 77-56 victory over Kentucky on Sunday. During the halftime festivities, fans showered Reese and Van Lith with “one more year” chants. After the game, head coach Kim Mulkey addressed her role in her star players potentially returning.

“I don’t go to them. I don’t think that’s the role of a head coach,” Mulkey said. “Those young ladies made a commitment to me. Van Lith wanted to come for one year. Angel wanted to come for two. And that’s the only conversation I’ve had with them when we recruited them out of the transfer portal.

“Certainly, any coach in America would love to have them back. But, I don’t think it’s my role as a head coach to influence them in any way because I’m not them. They have their goals. They know what they want. But, selfishly, you heard the fans chanting one more year. I’m so grateful that I got to coach them.”

Reese transferred to LSU ahead of the 2022-23 season from Maryland. She was an instant standout, earning First-Team All-American honors and being named the 2023 Final Four Most Outstanding Player after guiding LSU to a national championship.

Van Lith transferred to LSU from Louisville this past offseason, ready for a fresh start. She has delivered, averaging 12.2 points and 3.9 assists per game while shooting 37.5% from beyond the arc. While Kim Mulkey wasn’t necessarily satisfied with LSU’s performance against UK, she was happy to be a part of such a special Senior Day.

“I’ve never seen anything like it with any group I’ve coached. It’s a different time. Different era. LSU is an unbelievable brand. It’s both known internationally and nationally. Then you add the personalities of these kids I get to coach, they draw people to them.”

Although Reese took part in LSU’s Senior Day Celebrations. Her time as a Tiger may not be coming to an end. Ahead of the Tigers’ matchup against Tennessee last Sunday, Reese posted a cryptic message on social media.

“Should I stay, should I go? I don’t know,” Reese wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

LSU will welcome Angel Reese back with open arms if she decides to return next year. The All-SEC First Team member is averaging a team-high 19.4 points and 12.8 rebounds per game while shooting an efficient 51% from the field this season.