Kim Mulkey recently admitted that LSU is still searching for a leader to take the spot Angel Reese vacated after she was drafted by the Chicago Sky – after Flau’jae Johnson put the onus on herself to lead the Tigers in pre-season.
Over the weekend, LSU squeezed by Washington, 68-67, needing a comeback in the fourth quarter to steal the win. Had Washington won, that would have been one of the bigger stories in college basketball this season with the No. 7 Tigers seen as another championship contender.
After the win, Mulkey did not mince her words on how her team played, claiming LSU was “very lucky” to have won the game at all. Mulkey’s comments came after LSU barely defeated Tulane, which caused the 62-year-old to outwardly wonder why her young player are not willing to be leaders.
- Kim Mulkey makes ‘lucky’ admission after alarming LSU leadership assessment
- Kim Mulkey feelings on Hailey van Lith clear as ex-LSU star enjoys TCU resurgence
“I don’t know why young people don’t want to lead anymore,” she said at the time. “Do you have a suggestion? I think I know why. Because they want everybody to like them.
“Leaders aren’t going to be liked. Leaders are going to challenge their teammates. Leaders are going to hold them accountable. I never had a problem just leading and guiding as a point guard, and taking care of them, but challenging. Kids don’t want to lead anymore.”
Mulkey outwardly calling out her team for lacking leadership qualities does not bode well for Johnson and her bid to be the leader LSU has been missing since Reese was drafted. With Reese heading to the WNBA, the Tigers needed another presence to fill the void left by the forward’s departure, which Johnson was more than happy to fill.
Kim Mulkey and LSU continue to look for a leadership presence after Angel Reese was drafted by the Chicago Sky (
Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
Before the season began, Johnson proclaimed that her and LSU’s goal this season was to win another championship and that anything less would be a “failure”, giving herself a leadership role by declaring: “It’s on me to make a big splash”. After a commanding 114-53 exhibition win over Xavier, in which Johnson score 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Mulkey expressed how proud she was for Johnson seemingly stepping up.
“[Flau’Jae] was phenomenal and I think what you’re seeing from her is comfort,” Mulkey said during a post-game press conference. “She’s a leader and it’s because she has all the experience and puts in the work. She and Morrow were the most comfortable out there tonight. I’m not surprised either one of them had double-doubles.”
With the legendary head coach’s comments it appears she may not be seeing the leadership she hoped from Johnson and teammates to get LSU back to the mountaintop. And while Johnson might have what it takes to lead the Tigers to where they want to be, replacing Reese’s leadership continues to be a point of emphasis for the team.
Assistant coach Seimone Augustus clarified that the Tigers are still looking to find the leader to lead them like Reese did during her time at LSU. “Angel was like a leader on and off the court, points, rebounds, everything,” she said during an episode of the ‘In Case You Missed It’ podcast.
“So now we get to see a new set of leaders, a new set of followers, a new set of competitors. Like who’s going to step up to this challenge and fill that role?
“Over the last few weeks we were starting to see they starting to learn how tough it is to lead and also how tough it is to follow, and also bring your best every day and make sure that your teammates are emotionally okay, and make sure the coaches are all right. It’s like a process, but it’s a beautiful mix of chaos that has a number of opportunities for them all to grow.”
Leave a Reply