Reese Mulkey USATSI LSU Tigers
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For Angel Reese, joining the LSU Tigers was a fresh start. But for Kim Mulkey it meant going back to where it all started.

Before making history as a head coach at Baylor, Mulkey was an All-American and two-time national champion point guard at Louisiana Tech. She was an assistant coach there from 1985–1996, and earned another championship ring with the Lady Techsters in 1988.

"It's energized me, to go back home, to see familiar faces, and know that those people will now buy season tickets just because they know me," she said.

Mulkey -- born in Hammond, La. -- now lives just 40 minutes away from her mom. Her son, Kramer Roberston, plays baseball in the St. Louis Cardinals organization. Going back to Louisiana was a no brainer. Not that her experience with the Bears wasn't a good one. She turned Baylor around as soon as she took over, and went on to win three national titles with that program (2005, 2012, 2019). Mulkey was grateful for that experience, but it was time to go home. 

That decision has already proven to be a good one. During her second season at the helm of LSU, the Tigers are playing in the Final Four for the first time since 2008.

"It's ironic, kind of, that in two years at LSU my LSU team is in a Final Four in a state that was very good to me, not far from an institution that was very good to me," Mulkey, wearing a cowboy hat, said on Thursday in Dallas. "I would imagine there are going to be lots of Baylor people sitting in our section. I just had breakfast with Odyssey Sims, one of the greatest to play [at Baylor]. I've been on the phone with lots of former players."

Mulkey is the only person in college basketball to have won a Division I national championship as a player, assistant coach and head coach. She has a lot of experience on the big stage, but that doesn't guarantee success for her current team.

"I'm the only one in our locker room that has done this, but I'm not going to shoot, dribble, pass, guard any of them. So it's not a matter of what I have done," Mulkey said.

"All I'm going to do is tweak a thing here or there throughout the course of the game, but it has nothing at all to do with coaching and how long a coach has been somewhere or how many times a coach has been somewhere."

While Mulkey wanted to go back home, Reese -- the LSU star who transferred from Maryland last year -- said joining the Tigers was the clean slate she was looking for. 

"A fresh start, that's what I came to LSU for. I just wanted a fresh start. I've done things in my past that I kind of regret. I mean, there's things that I've done. But I came from Maryland and I succeeded at Maryland, but I wanted more. And more was to get better every single day and then cut down nets one day," she said.

"Just being able to be within a program where like with Kim Mulkey where she was going to push me every day and keep my humble and to get me to the next level, I think what was important for me. And I needed Coach Mulkey and that's just what I needed. I needed Coach Mulkey."

The sophomore forward has definitely blossomed. Last season with the Terrapins she averaged 17.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. Those numbers became even more impressive this year at 23.2 points and 15.7 boards per contest. The All-American registered 32 double-doubles this season, which is the single-season SEC record.

She explained the Tigers -- the team with the second best scoring margin (25.1) in the nation behind No. 1 overall seed South Carolina -- have been following five goals through the season: focus, execute, leadership, defense, and rebounding. So far their discipline has paid off. They've won 31 games this season, the most for the program since 2007-08.

Fifth-year guard Alexis Reese, who played for Baylor in 2017-18, has also been a solid contributor for the Tigers with 14.9 points per game. She will be one to watch this weekend and she gets to end her college career in her native state of Texas. The third double-digit scorer for LSU is Flau'jae Johnson with 10.4 points per contest. Mulkey said Johnson probably outworks anybody she has ever coached.

This is a solid group, but Reese said staying focused is more important now than ever because the Tigers are in a win or go home situation as they chase the program's first ever title game appearance. The No. 3 seed LSU squad will have to get past No. 1 seed Virginia Tech on Friday to earn an opportunity to compete for the title. It's all new to this group of players, but Reese said she trusts her coach can take them there. 

"She's been to championship games, and she has won championship games. She even told us in the Sweet 16 game, she said, y'all get us to the Elite Eight, and we can get you to the Final Four. Now it's you win this game, I'll get you to the championship and win that championship," Reese said. 

"So just trusting in the coaches. Of course they've been here before. And just trying to believe as much as we can."