Kim Mulkey secures nearly the entire LSU Tigers roster as they aim for greatness, with just one key player seeking new opportunities elsewhere.
The LSU Tigers Women's Basketball got a treat on Thursday night as head coach Kim Mulkey stated, during an interview with WAFB's Jacques Doucet, that Divine Bourrage is the only player she expects to see enter the transfer portal.
Mulkey waxed poetic about the importance of having all of those players back out of the transfer portal:
"Well, I've had my individual meetings and yes, they're all coming back except for [Bourrage]. You cannot understand the value of having all of them back. That's how you build it. That's how you get over that hump of an elite eight. When you look at those that are coming back, freshman, freshman, sophomore, junior, sophomore, you know. Look how much they did this year. And so, man, if they come back, they stay together, they play together. That's how you build it. That's the way it's supposed to be done. And so I am blessed that all of those great players are coming back."
The departing players, who contributed this year, would be Flau'jae Johnson, Amiya Joyner and Bourrage. Johnson and Joyner are leaving because of eligibility, and Borruage is entering the transfer portal, hoping for increased opportunity elsewhere.
Johnson is the biggest loss of that group, as the star of the team and one of the school's premier athletes. She had a great career with the Tigers, winning the national championship as a freshman, and is now headed to the WNBA.
With the team mostly coming back, that leadership role will be fully in the court of Mikaylah Williams, who is entering her senior year. She averages 15.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists with 1.2 steals per game on 47.9/39.3/83.1 shooting splits.
Williams has always held high expectations, but has never needed to be the team's lone star and leader before. She's always had someone else like Johnson, Angel Reese or Aneesah Morrow to take the main spotlight. If she can continue shooting the ball well and show a bit more aggressiveness on offense, she should be one of the nation's best players.
She was a lock to come back, though. It's more impressive that LSU can keep the young players like Bella Hines and Meghan Yarnevich, who may not have gotten as much playing time.
Hines did get a bit more time than Bourrage, which is probably why the latter is transferring.
The Tigers might have worried about there being some competition for players with Gary Redus becoming the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, and is bringing a mix of former LSU standouts, coaches, etc. with him.