After what was a season filled with plenty of ups and downs, there was no shortage of emotion following the final Tiger loss vs. Iowa in the 2024 Elite Eight. During the postgame press conference, LSU coach Kim Mulkey spoke not only about her team, but what she expects to remember most from this season.
LSU coach Kim Mulkey takes a moment to reflect on this past season and her 2024 roster
The sport of women’s college basketball is getting more coverage than it ever has in the past, and in turn, we’re seeing a rapid increase in overall talent, meaning that it’s only getting harder to win. Amazingly, one of the few coaches who have managed to win at the highest level on a consistent basis is LSU coach Kim Mulkey, and she’s only just completed her third season with the program.
After winning the national championship in 2023, all eyes were on the Tigers and it was true that everyone was giving everything they had to beat them in a game of basketball. Even so, only a select few actually managed to do so, as Colorado, Auburn, South Carolina, Mississippi State and Iowa were the only five to achieve the feat.
The purple and gold ended their season with a record of 31-6, which included a trip to the 2024 SEC Tournament Championship and an eventual Elite Eight loss vs. Iowa that would turn out to be an electric rematch from last year’s national championship.
Still, even with the loss, there was no doubt in coach Kim Mulkey’s mind when asked about what she’ll remember and feel most when looking back on this year’s team.
“Proud. I’m going to feel very proud,” the Tiger head coach said during Monday’s press conference. “I’m going to think of the little things that we overcame that put us in the Elite Eight. You’re one game away from going back to the Final Four. And I’m going to eventually think of ‘how did we get here?’ How did we get here? What did we do as a team and as a staff to get to this moment?”
Heading into the year, there was no doubt things were going to be tough on the Tigers. After losing multiple stellar seniors the season prior, the group suffered two more early losses, as guard Kateri Poole and forward Sa’Myah Smith would end up not being able to play in 2024 for various reasons.
Even so, the group didn’t stumble, and instead took things in stride. Led by star forward Angel Reese, guard Flau’jae Johnson and so many others, the purple and gold continued to fight and managed to put together yet another 30+ win season.
“Only one team finishes the season happy,” coach Mulkey continued. “And boy, we got to do that last year. And somebody will get to do it this year, but everybody else is gonna come up here and be sad. And, there’s nothing wrong with being sad. If you’re not sad, that means you didn’t invest much. So those tears are tears of investment.”
It’s likely safe to say that no one involved with the LSU women’s basketball program is happy with the way things ended. Even so, if the Tiger head coach and her young roster have anything to do with it, it’s hard to imagine they won’t be coming back stronger than ever in the very near future.
Notably, every player on the 2024 roster still has eligibility remaining and can come back for at least one more season this coming year. While it’s safe to assume we can expect quite a bit of turnover, as is the case every season, these next couple of months will play a major role in what the purple and gold will continue to look like as we move ahead into the coming years.
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