Kim Mulkey reveals mindset on Angel Reese, Hailey Van Lith's future at LSU

Kim Mulkey has put together a star-studded starting lineup in Baton Rouge, retaining the stars that won LSU the 2023 NCAA Championship while adding some of the best talent around.

Angel Reese, the 2023 Final Four MVP, and Tigers transfer portal sensation Hailey Van Lith have solidified themselves as two of the top players at their respective positions over the past few years.

Both have played four years of college basketball and are eligible for the 2024 WNBA Draft. Despite this, LSU head coach Kim Mulkey also isn’t in the business of begging her superstars to return to school next season, especially when she feels as though they’ve held up their end of the bargain ever since they committed to play for her Tigers.

“I don’t know if I’ll have a conversation with them,” Mulkey said, via Bengal Tiger’s Matthew Brune. “Angel said when she came here she would stay two years and Hailey said she’d stay one. I’m not the type of coach to sit people down and tell them which agents to pick or talk them out of what they want to do. They know they have the COVID year to come back and they would be more than welcome, but I try to stay away from having any kind of influential conversation, particularly with Hailey and Angel because they made it perfectly clear when they came what they wanted to do.”

Of course, that’s not to say that Mulkey wouldn’t be overjoyed to have two of her biggest team’s contributors return for another year.

LSU’s eventual run in the NCAA Tournament this season may end up having an impact on their decision. After all, it would be hard for Reese to argue returning after winning back-to-back national championship. What more could she possibly do? And for Van Lith, the national title avoided her during the three years she spent at Louisville. What could be better than going out on top?

After all, returning to school isn’t an anomaly these days. With the way players can compensate through NIL — there’s a good chance that some of the top stars in women’s college basketball, like and Angel Reese or a Hailey Van Lith, could potentially rival, if not eclipse some professional salaries in the same space.

Whatever Reese or Van Lith’s ultimate decision ends up being remains to be seen, but for now the duo will be focused on finishing LSU’s regular season out strong with game against Georgia and Kentucky before entering the SEC Tournament as one of the top four seeds.