Kim Mulkey reflects on local fan support in Texas

LSU secured their fourth-straight win on Monday night when they defeated Texas A&M on the road in a dominant 81-58 win in the Lone Star State. A state that head coach Kim Mulkey is more than familiar with winning basketball games in.

Mulkey spent 21 seasons as the head coach of Baylor before joining the Tigers in 2021, but the support for her in the state of Texas still exists. As she spoke about her ties to Texas from her family and beyond following Monday’s game.

“I have to tell you, I somewhat forgot how close I was to my grand-babies, and they showed up and I went duh. It’s like Mom, you didn’t realize we were coming to spend the night with you?” Mulkey said recalling a conversation with her daughter. “And I was like I really forgot. It’s an hour away, an hour and 10 minutes, whatever. So just being able to sleep with them and have them around me yesterday and today.”

Mulkey won three national championships, 12 Big 12 regular season titles, 11 Big 12 tournament titles, and 632 total games during her tenure at Baylor. Which includes a multitude of wins in Reed Arena over the Aggies.

But the Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer still receives a warm reception in College Station, which has also been welcomed with familiar faces since her departure from the Baylor program.

“A lot of memories in this building,” Mulkey said. “Got to visit with Coach [Gary] Blair before the game and he’s living the life that I hope to live someday in retirement. And yes, after the game I did look around and thought oh my goodness, tons of LSU people. And yes, a lot of those are Baylor people. And I’ve said it many times, I still have my house in Baylor, I have a house in Baton Rouge.”

Mulkey’s impact on the Baylor program can be seen through the support she and the Tigers receive on the road in the state of Texas. A place that she’s clearly left a legacy at and will continue to keep close to her heart for years to come.

“My grand-babies are there, my daughter’s there, you don’t spend 21 years of your life in a community without having lifelong friends and it was good to see a lot of them when I was walking down the hall to come here,” Mulkey said. “And I’m going to go back out on that court and see a bunch of them.”

LSU will host Auburn in their next matchup on Thursday at 9:00 p.m. ET in a game airing on SEC Network.