Kim Mulkey named 2022 AP National Coach of the Year

MINNEAPOLIS (WAFB) - LSU women’s basketball head coach Kim Mulkey has been named the 2022 AP National Coach of the Year.

In her first season in Baton Rouge, Mulkey led the Tigers to a 26-6 record and a Top-16 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Mulkey becomes the third coach to win the award three times in her career and first since 2019. She was first named AP Coach of the Year in 2012 with Baylor. She led the Bears to a national championship that season.

The Hall of Fame coach led the Tigers to the biggest turnaround by a first-year coach in SEC history. The Tigers won just nine games the season before Mulkey arrived.

The Tigers finished the season ranked No. 9 overall and second in the SEC behind No. 1 South Carolina. LSU was No. 1 in the SEC in scoring. The Tigers averaged 73.7 points per game, up from 60.2 points per game a season ago, which ranked last in the SEC. The Tigers’ shooting percentage also increased from a season ago from 38.6% to 44.3%, which is ranked No. 2 in the SEC.

During the 2021-2022 season, the Tigers won six games over Top 25 opponents and took No. 1. South Carolina down to the wire back in January but ultimately lost by six.

LSU picked up its first tournament win since 2014 with a come-from-behind win against No. 13 seed Jackson State. The Tigers trailed by 10 with less than five minutes, then the Tigers went on a 19-3 run in the closing minutes to win the game.

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