LSU’s women’s basketball coach, Kim Mulkey, is taking the game by storm. Who is she? Why is she so controversial? Luckily, this article has all you need to know.
Basketball senior Allison Gray loves Coach Mulkey for being amazing and sassy. Gray describes Mulkey as her favorite women’s college basketball coach and has expressed several times her love for Mulkey’s style.
Kim Mulkey’s style is very audacious. When Mulkey comes for a game, she will always wear a statement. However, this style has become quite controversial. While some, like Gray, are all for her style, others, like math teacher Kristi Paskey (a former basketball player and coach), are not fans. Paskey describes her outfits as “different” and seemingly “more about her than her players.”
“That is not what I believe in,” Paskey said, which was emphasized again when she described her favorite coaches, Geno Auriemma out of UConn and Dawn Staley out of South Carolina. Paskey said she loves these coaches for the respect that they put into the game and that they care more about the players than themselves.
Another perspective on this topic comes from physical education and health teacher Mrs. Puls, who is also a former basketball coach. She admitted she would never adopt Kim Mulkey’s style, but she acknowledges its role in attracting attention to the game.
“If that’s what it takes to make people watch the game,” Puls said, “then so be it.”
Puls was also asked if she likes Kim Mulkey on a coaching level. Her response was, “I believe that everyone has their way of coaching, and while I don’t believe in Mulkey’s coaching style, it works.”
Kim Mulkey’s impact on women’s college basketball is undeniable. She has blazed a trail as the first to win a championship while playing, coaching, and head coaching. Her accolades include two Olympic gold medals, induction into two halls of fame, and leading her teams to four NCAA championships, a feat achieved by only seven coaches.
Let’s also please not forget her incredible fashion sense.
