Transfer guard Kailyn Gilbert commits to LSU, Kim Mulkey
LSU has picked up a dynamic scoring guard with the commitment of transfer portal guard Kailyn Gilbert, LSU announced on Wednesday evening.
Gilbert spent the first two years of her career at Arizona where she blossomed as a sophomore, averaging 15.1 points, 5.3 rebounds. 2.3 assists, and 1.3 steals on 41.9 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range.
Gilbert is ranked as the No. 25 player on ESPN’s transfer portal rankings and brings another scoring punch to the Tigers’ backcourt for next season. Gilbert was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week on Dec. 18 and was the Wildcats’ leading scorer, starting 19 of the 23 games she played in. Out of high school, Gilbert was the No. 31 recruit in the class of 2022 out of Florida where she was the 3A player of the year in the state.
It was reported by WildcatAuthority.com that Gilbert was on a visit earlier this week at LSU after the two sides had been linked for some time.
It was a rocky road to the portal for Gilbert. In late February, Arizona head coach Adia Barnes dismissed Gilbert from the team, saying she “won’t be with the team for the rest of the year.” Gilbert entered the portal after her freshman season as well, but chose to return to play another year at Arizona. Reports out of Tucson were that Gilbert stated she did not like playing defense and was at times unwilling to look for her teammates on offense. Reports indicate Barnes being frustrated with Gilbert throughout the season and eventually the dismissal followed suit.
It’s another high-upside proposition for LSU and Kim Mulkey, though, as the amount of game-changing guards in the portal is thin and Gilbert has the potential to get even better over the coming two years alongside Flau’Jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams.
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Where does this put LSU now?
LSU’s roster now includes: Flau’jae Johnson, Aneesah Morrow, Mikaylah Williams, Last-Tear Poa, Sa’Myah Smith, Aalyah Del Rosario, Amani Bartlett, Jada Richard, Jersey Wolfenbarger, Kailyn Gilbert, Shayeann Day-Wilson, and Mjracle Sheppard.
That’s now four point guards as LSU adds more ball handlers to help run the offense alongside the talented trio of wings in Williams, Johnson, and Morrow. And now, the addition of Gilbert further adds to the scoring potential in Baton Rouge. With 12 scholarship players, there’s still room to add more experienced talent as the Tigers look to get back to the Final Four in 2025.
LSU ended last season with a 31-6 record with a loss in the Elite Eight to Iowa, followed by Angel Reese declaring for the WNBA Draft and Hailey Van Lith entering the transfer portal. Freshmen Janae Kent and Angelica Velez also entered the portal, leaving an already thin LSU roster in need of help in a hurry.
Fortunately, few teams across the country have utilized the transfer portal better than Kim Mulkey and her staff, reeling in big names year after year from Alexis Morris and Angel Reese to Aneesah Morrow and Hailey Van Lith. Now, we’ll see where LSU goes next as it builds its 2024-25 roster.
