Mulkey said she never expected to win a national title in her sophomore year at LSU.
LSU star forward Angel Reese sat in the back of an orange convertible Corvette and waved to thousands of roadside fans — and also waved his hand in front of her face from time to time, repeating a gesture that caused a stir at the end of the state championship game.
The Tigers marched across campus and into the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Wednesday night for ceremonies to honor their first NCAA women’s national championship, captured in a 102-85 win over Iowa in Dallas on Sunday.
“I’m trying not to cry,” said coach Kim Mulkey, who hails from Louisiana and left behind the three-time state champion powerhouse she built at Baylor two years ago to take over LSU.
“This is my home,” she said, noting that her mother was in the arena.
Reese was not among the players speaking at the event. But she has spoken out on several issues this week.
She didn’t apologize when asked if she waved her hand in front of her face while staring at Caitlin Clark during the game. Clark, The Associated Press Player of the Year, made a similar gesture like no one else during Iowa’s win over Louisville in the Elite Eight.
Reese has also said she would not accept an apology from First Lady Jill Biden for proposing to invite both LSU and runner-up Iowa to the White House. President Joe Biden did not implement this idea and only invited LSU and the Connecticut men’s national champion.
LSU star guard Alexis Morris, a rising senior who wants to play in the WNBA, was among the players who addressed the crowd in the arena.
“LSU, thank you. I appreciate your love, your unwavering support and for believing in us,” she said. “I just want you all to know that I love you with all my heart.”
Mulkey, who won a national title as a player for Louisiana Tech, said her goal is to win a national title with her home state’s flagship university. But she said she never set out a timeline for it.
Holding up a page of notes from a preseason meeting with her players, Mulkey said, “It doesn’t say ‘win a national championship’ anywhere.”
She said the goals she wrote down were to win 90% of non-conference games, finish in the top four of the SEC, win a game in the SEC tournament and be in the AP top 25 throughout the season to stay.
She also told the team, “If you play defense and bounce the ball back, you can surprise yourself.”
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards was among the speakers who followed the parade.
“Louisiana always believed in you, but more importantly, you believed in yourself and you were smart enough not to listen to all the pundits who said you didn’t stand a chance,” Edwards told the LSU players.
Edwards said of Mulkey, “We all knew she could do it, but what she’s done to improve this program and all of women’s sport is truly remarkable.”
Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome presented Mulkey with a key to the city.
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