LSU is sending a mix of established producers and familiar program cornerstones to Southeastern Conference Tipoff ’27 on Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama.
On the men’s side, seniors Abdi Bashir Jr. and Mo Dioubate will join Will Wade at the Hotel Wildemont. For the women, Kim Mulkey will be accompanied by seniors Mikaylah Williams and MiLaysia Fulwiley, along with sophomore ZaKiyah Johnson. LSU is part of the first day of the two-day event, which will air on the SEC Network and stream on SECN+.
The men’s team is scheduled for the podium from 9:35 to 10 a.m., followed by the women from 10:35 to 11 a.m.
Bashir arrives in Baton Rouge after stops at Kansas State and Monmouth, and he brings a track record built around perimeter shooting. He averaged 13.2 points for the Wildcats and hit 66 of 151 from three-point range, good for 44.4 percent.
Before that, at Monmouth, he posted 20.1 points per game in his sophomore season and added 2.2 assists while knocking down 127 threes. The Omaha, Nebraska, native has made about 245 three-pointers across his first three college seasons.
Dioubate gives LSU a veteran with deep SEC experience. He spent two seasons at Alabama and one at Kentucky, appearing in 31 games last season while averaging 8.8 points and 5.5 rebounds.
Over three years, he has recorded eight career double doubles and 23 career games in double figures. The Queens, New York, native has played in 101 games during his first three seasons and averaged 7.2 points and 5.9 rebounds in his second year at Alabama.
Williams returns for her fourth season at LSU as one of the top guards coming back in the country. She helped the Tigers reach a fourth straight Sweet 16 and enters this year after another productive junior season.
LSU leaned on her all over the floor: she led the team in three-pointers made with 50, defensive rebounds with 159, assists with 127 and minutes with 999. Williams finished at 14.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game, earning AP honorable mention All-America recognition and a spot on the All-SEC First Team.
She also reached 1,500 career points against Tennessee and 500 career rebounds against South Carolina in the SEC Tournament semifinal.
Fulwiley brings a different kind of spark. The 5-10 guard has built a reputation as one of the country’s most inventive offensive players, and her résumé already includes one national title, two Final Four trips and a Sweet 16 appearance. In three collegiate seasons, she has played in 108 games off the bench with four starts - three at South Carolina and one at LSU - and has averaged 12.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game.
Last season, Fulwiley led LSU in scoring with 511 points and in field goals made with 190. She was named SEC Sixth Woman of the Year for the second straight season, becoming the third Tiger to win the award after Sylvia Fowles in 2005 and Allison Hightower in 2008. She also became the third SEC player to claim the honor in back-to-back seasons and earned AP honorable mention All-America recognition.
Johnson heads to her first SEC Media Day with a bigger role on the horizon. Entering her second season in Baton Rouge, she is expected to grow in several ways for Mulkey and her staff, both on and off the floor.
LSU recruited her as a perimeter player, but Mulkey spent much of last season using her as a post option, with some backcourt minutes mixed in. Johnson played in 34 games with 23 starts as a freshman and averaged 9.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.
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