Following LSU women’s basketball’s SEC Tournament quarterfinal win over Florida, head coach Kim Mulkey had high praise for one of her assistants.
In the postgame press conference, Mulkey called for associate head coach Bob Starkey to be inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame for his contributions to the sport.
Leading up to the SEC Tournament, Mulkey was away from the team as she dealt with an unexpected death. Mulkey returned to the team before the Tigers tipped-off on Friday, but Starkey served as LSU’s acting head coach in the SEC Tournament. Mulkey sat on the bench along with the assistants.
“This man deserves to be in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame,” Mulkey said. “I’ve been begging them for years.”
Starkey built a legacy coaching basketball at LSU and is one of the best defensive minds in the game. He served as an assistant under Dale Brown for the men’s team from 1990-96, playing a large role in developing Shaquille O’Neal, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Stanley Roberts.
In his first stint with the women’s team from 1998-2011, Starkey helped guide the Tigers to four SEC Championships, 12 straight NCAA Tournament appearances and five-straight trips to the Final Four. Seimone Augustus and Sylvia Fowles turned professional and etched their names into LSU history under his watch.
Starkey also spent nine seasons at Texas A&M and one at Auburn. Mulkey hired the Baton Rouge legend as her top assistant one year into her tenure at LSU. Starkey played a major role in helping the Tigers win the first national championship in program history in the first year of his second stint.
LSU was eliminated from the SEC Tournament after a loss to Texas in the semifinals. The Tigers now await their NCAA Tournament destination which will be announced on Sun, Mar. 16.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Kim Mulkey calls for longtime LSU assistant coach to make Hall of Fame
