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MiLaysia Fulwiley details what went into her decision to play for Kim Mulkey, LSU
- Story byThe Daily Advertiser
- MiLaysia Fulwiley details what went into her decision to play for Kim Mulkey, LSU
The only time LSU women's basketball made the SEC Tournament championship game under Kim Mulkey two seasons ago, the defense severely limited all of South Carolina's starting five.
But one player exploded for the Gamecocks on offense and almost singlehandedly was responsible for the Gamecocks' 79-72 dispelling of the Tigers that night in Greenville.
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Then-freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley came off the bench for Dawn Staley 's team and only played 17 minutes but dropped 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting with four 3-pointers and had two big steals.
MILAYSIA FULWILEY TO PLAY POINT GUARD FOR LSU
"Not only is she a national champion, she's an impact player," LSU coach Kim Mulkey said Wednesday during LSU's SEC Women's Basketball Media Days. "She herself, in games that we lost to South Carolina, it was, my gosh, take her off the floor and we might've been able to win. That's how good she's been against our team."
Fulwiley shocked the women's basketball world by entering the transfer portal following last season that ended for her in the NCAA championship game with South Carolina against UConn, deciding to leave her hometown team in the Gamecocks.
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It wasn't an easy decision but as she has said, she believed she could be rejuvenated by a fresh start.
"When I realized I wanted to leave, I told myself I need to go to a great program where I could still compete and also still be in the SEC and play for a great coach," Fulwiley said. "So when I started to think about those types of things, I went in the direction of LSU and it is a great fit for me."
Fulwiley's first couple of months in Baton Rouge have been a learning experience on and off the court. But that's part of what she was looking for when she entered the transfer portal.
Mulkey has tasked Fulwiley with learning the point guard position. For Staley and the Gamecocks, Fulwiley only started a couple of times and when she entered the game, she played off ball and only brought the ball up the floor in transition.
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"When the opportunity came, I knew that we had (established stars Flau'jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams) back, how could I convince her to come to LSU? First of all, it had to be extremely difficult for her to leave Columbia, that's where she's from," Mulkey said. "The second thing was she wanted to play with these guys and, lastly, learn a new position. She's having to learn point guard, which that's hard. It's extremely hard when I only have you for a short period of time before the season starts.
"I'm not going to take away the freedom to let her do what she does because she is entertaining and she can finish shots and you go, 'How did she do that?' Teaching her a new position, her playing with these guys and leaving home, what respect I have for her."
That electrifying element to Fulwiley's game has impressed her new teammates and is already shaping how the team plans to operate.
"She's so much fun to play with — someone so explosive and athletic," Williams said. "Coach Mulkey loves transition and we all know what MiLaysia can do in transition. So, I'm excited to see what this season holds for us."
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"I couldn't say I was never a fan of her before but seeing her in practice, doing some of the stuff she do, I'm like, 'How is she doing that?'" Johnson said. "Her instincts — talk about an instinctual player.
"She just makes us quicker, faster and her mindset. I told her, whatever you need, I got you. And she's eager to learn. That's the best part about playing with her, she wants to learn. I told her go get in that film room with Bob Starkey and she's been doing it ever since. She wants to get better, she wants to learn and just do good."
There's still a few more weeks before the season tips off on Nov. 4 against Houston Christian. There's more work to be done for Fulwiley and her new team but she's excited about when LSU puts it all together.
"It's been a big transition but, in my opinion, I think it's been great for me. Growing as a person on and off the court, I'm learning a lot but I'm excited while learning, so it's been great," Fulwiley said.
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"I'm looking forward to seeing how we fit. Seeing how we all fit together and how we all stay in the work. There's a lot of great players on this team, a lot of great freshmen coming in so I'm excited to see how we put it all together, when we put it all together."
Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com .
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: MiLaysia Fulwiley details her decision to play for LSU, Kim Mulkey
