LSU heads to SEC Basketball Media Day on Tuesday with a group that says plenty about where Kim Mulkey’s program stands right now: established production, young upside and a roster still taking shape.
Mulkey will be joined in Birmingham, Alabama, by guards Mikaylah Williams and MiLaysia Fulwiley, along with sophomore ZaKiyah Johnson. The Tigers’ women’s basketball contingent is scheduled for media activities from 9:25 to 11:50 a.m., including a live appearance on SEC Network from 9:50 to 10:05 a.m. LSU’s men’s program will also take part in Tuesday’s event.
The timing gives an early look at a team built around familiar names and fresh pieces as Mulkey enters her sixth season in Baton Rouge. She’s also closing in on a major career marker.
Mulkey has 783 wins in 26 seasons as a Division I head coach and needs 17 more to reach 800. Her career winning percentage sits at .857, and her five LSU teams have gone 151-26.
Williams is back for her fourth season and remains one of the SEC’s most polished guards. Last year, she was a first-team All-SEC pick and an Associated Press honorable mention All-American, putting up 14.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
She led LSU in made three-pointers with 50 and assists with 127, while also topping the team in defensive rebounds and minutes played. Williams crossed 1,500 career points during the season and helped LSU reach the Sweet 16 for the fourth straight year.
Fulwiley brings another proven scorer to the mix. The 5-foot-10 guard led LSU in total scoring last season with 511 points and earned SEC Sixth Woman of the Year honors for the second straight season.
Across her first three college seasons, she averaged 12.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.9 steals. Her résumé already includes a national championship and two Final Four appearances, and she turned in one of her biggest moments last March with a career-high 28 points against Duke in the Sweet 16, while also going past 1,000 career points.
Johnson is headed into a larger spotlight after a freshman season that earned her SEC All-Freshman honors. She averaged 9.7 points and 5.6 rebounds while appearing in 34 games and starting 23 of them.
Though she was recruited mainly as a perimeter player, she spent significant time in the post last season, and that kind of versatility should remain valuable for Mulkey. Johnson is one of three returning sophomores from LSU’s 2025 recruiting class, along with Grace Knox and Meghan Yarnevich.
LSU’s roster now includes 11 players, with five returnees and six newcomers. The Tigers added three transfers in point guard Jada Williams from Iowa State, guard Laila Reynolds from Florida and guard Chloe Larry from Tennessee Tech. The incoming group also features freshman Lola Lampley of Indiana and international additions Noa Morro of Spain and Anna Minaeva of Russia.
With Williams and Fulwiley leading the way and a batch of new faces expected to contribute, LSU is trying to build on four straight Sweet 16 trips. Fans will get their first look later this month when the Tigers host two exhibition games at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
LSU faces UNT Dallas on October 22 and Loyola-New Orleans on October 29, and both games will be open to the public. The Tigers open the 2026-27 regular season at home on November 2 against Southeastern Louisiana.
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More recently, the game has kept finding ways to look strange, including LSUs dramatic finish in 2002 and Kentuckys latest victory over the Tigers in 2021, a 42-21 result in Lexington. For LSU fans, the memory bank on this series is full of odd turns and uncomfortable surprises, which is part of why Kentucky week has never quite felt normal. [Read more 🡒]