They are located just yards apart, but LSU basketball has historically taken a back seat to the celebrated football program. The behemoth from Death Valley produces more than a $50-million annual surplus and has won three national titles in the last 22 seasons.
Across the street at the PMAC, Kim Mulkey has injected life into a program that was reeling under Nikki Fargas and captured a national title two years ago. The quick ascension to glory for Mulkey is a blessing and curse. She is expected to win national honors every year and lost nearly $9-million in the last fiscal year. The red ink is too severe to be sustainable over time.
While Mulkey has a massive budget compared to her conference counterparts, men’s coach Matt McMahon is operating at a level lower than his SEC brothers. The results are indicative of the investment, and patrons will be griping if Kim does not win it all again this year, and McMahon continues to toil under .500 in the league.
A prudent and bold move by Athletic Director Scott Woodward would have Mulkey and McMahon playing a game of musical coaching chairs. McMahon would thrive with Mulkey’s budget and likely would immediately become the first LSU women’s coach to capture the SEC championship since Van Chancellor, who dominated the league in 2008 and 2010. Yes, it has been 15 years since LSU won the SEC women’s basketball crown. McMahon is primed to follow Van to the top of the conference.
Mulkey, as men’s coach, would be delivered from unreal expectations and would make history again. She has won ultimate honors at every stop in her basketball odyssey. With four national championships, three at Baylor and one at LSU, her head coaching record through 25 seasons is impeccable. The best road to enhance her legend is for her to coach the LSU men to a title.
Will Wade won the SEC title for the Tigers in 2019 and Harry Rabenhorst was a national titlist in 1935. Ninety years removed from Sparky Wade leading the Bengals to the pinnacle, Kim Duane Mulkey would be the talk of the nation if Woodward pulled the trigger and named her men’s coach. If men can coach women, Kim can lead the men into the Maravich Assembly Center.
The nation would turn its eyes to Baton Rouge as the arena would be packed, ticket prices would escalate and Mulkey could become the first coach of the men’s team to turn a surplus on the court since Dale Brown. This shuffling of the deck would be good for the bottom line from a win-loss and profit-loss perspective. And it should not cost Woodward additional funds.
It is sexist to deny a woman a chance to lead a men’s basketball program in a major conference. In NCAA history, only Teresa Lawrence Phillips has served as a female leader of a men’s team. In 2003, she coached Fisk University for one game. Her Tigers lost to Austin Peay 71-56.
The prediction from this corner is that Mulkey would win big and culminate her career with the NCAA men’s title. This is a marvelous opportunity for LSU to be progressive and receive plaudits from fans from all political persuasions.
Mulkey is equipped to coach anybody and has experience from her days as a standout at Louisiana Tech with the larger basketball used in men’s competition. McMahon is a generation younger than his LSU colleague, is a strong coach in his own right and resembles a matinee idol. He is no sloppy looking sideline strategist. He would be box office as the Lady Tigers’ coach.
The optics welcome this transition which would accomplish what my mentor Gus Weill always encouraged when he implored his pupils to push the envelope. “Put some sizzle with the streak”, said the wise man.
Weill was a master public relations operative, who worked with Dale Brown to keep the LSU program as a must-see event. With Mulkey leading the troops in her spectacular wardrobe, America would be captivated by the spectacle. LSU basketball enthusiasts would again be camping out to get the last few seats available in the PMAC while Mulkey and Woodward would be regarded as legendary trailblazers.
Bregman Has New Venue
Alex Bregman has surpassed his LSU teammate Aaron Nola as the highest paid MLB Tiger. Bregman has departed Houston after nine seasons and two World Series titles and will receive $40 million this season to play third base for the Boston Red Sox.
Bregman turns 31 on March 30 and is a disciplined athlete who has an outside chance, as does Nola, to be LSU’s first Baseball Hall of Famer.
Induction at Cooperstown has become a popularity contest with former Detroit second baseman Lou Whitaker still on the outside looking in despite a Wins Above Replacement number of 75.1, better than Derek Jeter’s 71.3 WAR total. Jeter was a first ballot HOF selection while Whitaker has been retired without appropriate recognition for 30 years.
LSU’s career WAR leaders and their score.
- Alvin Dark 43.9
- Albert Belle 40.1
- Alex Bregman 39.6
- Aaron Nola 35.3
- Joe Adcock 33.5
- Bill Lee 31.4
- DJ LeMahieu 29.8
- Aaron Hill 24.4
- Kevin Gausman 23.8
- Ben McDonald 20.8
Other SEC stars and their WAR scores
Roger Clemens Texas 139.2 No HOF
Max Scherzer Missouri 75.4 Active
Frank Thomas Auburn 73.8 HOF
Rafael Palmeiro Miss. State 71.9 No HOF
Todd Helton Tennessee 61.8 HOF
Will Clark Miss. State 56.5 No HOF
Cliff Lee Arkansas 43.2 No HOF
David Price Vanderbilt 40.2 No HOF
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