During the game Thursday night, Kim Mulkey noticed a couple of new inbound plays that her team ran against Texas A&M.
“I don’t know if (LSU women’s basketball associate head coach Bob Starkey) did it or if it was coach Kaylin (Rice), she does a lot of inbounds plays,” Mulkey said after LSU women’s basketball blowout, 98-54, win over A&M. “But I looked at them and said, ‘I kinda like that.'”
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Mulkey was away from her team in the lead up to the matchup with the Aggies as she had an unexpected family matter come up immediately after LSU’s win at Oklahoma last Sunday. Mulkey was gone all week.
LSU WBB DOMINATES TEXAS A&M LSU women’s basketball dominates Texas A&M – Game highlights
Starkey ran the team while she was taking care of her family matter. He’s done this before as he handled LSU’s preparation for its opening game in the SEC Tournament last season as Mulkey had sudden death in her family, so this was no different for him.
It was no different for the players either, and Starkey emphasized a clear message to them in preparation for Texas A&M.
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“It was the same. I think our goal was the same,” LSU star guard MiLaysia Fulwiley said. “We all come into practice each and every day just wanting to get better, so I think Bob kind of emphasized on that tonight. We’ve got to get better; we can’t overlook this team.
“We had to go out there, play harder, play stronger and just want it more. This whole week during practice, everybody was on the same page and just tried to get better each and every day.”
LSU (18-2, 4-2 SEC) certainly adhered to the message from Starkey and the rest of LSU’s coaching staff. The Tigers came out and took control early against the Aggies and completely dominated in every facet of the game all night.
Fulwiley tied a season-high 23 points, but she had five steals as well. Other star guard Mikaylah Williams didn’t have her best shooting performance but impacted the game with her career-high nine assists.
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It was total buy-in from LSU during practice despite its head coach not being there, and it showed in how they played.
For years, Mulkey has stamped for Starkey to be inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. And while they wait for that to happen, the ability Mulkey has to leave the program in her trusted assistant coach’s hands for a few days proves how vital Starkey is to the team’s success.
“He has extended my career, he talks my language, we teach the same way,” Mulkey said. “It does matter when you take yourself away from the team for four days like I did. I would do it with any team I’m with; my family comes first. I never doubted that he would have our team ready to play.
“I have no hesitation when something unexpected happens like it happened after the (Oklahoma) game to go and be with my family. But who makes it really work are my players. I told them what was going on, and told them if things go accordingly, I’ll see them at A&M. And it did.”
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Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: How LSU women’s basketball prepped for Texas A&M without Kim Mulkey
