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Kim Mulkey not coaching LSU women's basketball vs. Florida due to death in family
- Story byThe Daily Advertiser
- Kim Mulkey not coaching LSU women's basketball vs. Florida due to death in family
Kim Mulkey turned the head coaching reins over to her top assistant Friday night while she deals with a death in her family as LSU women's basketball took on Florida in the quarterfinals of the women's SEC tournament .
According to the SEC Network, Mulkey was away from LSU in the lead up to the game in Greenville, South Carolina, due to an unexpected death in her family. The Basketball Hall of Fame coach flew in Friday morning for LSU's game.
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Tigers' associate head coach Bob Starkey is the acting head coach Friday vs. the Gators per the SEC Network.
REQURIED READING: LSU, Kim Mulkey vs Florida: Live score, updates from SEC Tournament game
The SEC Network broadcast has shown Mulkey sitting on the bench during the first half talking to her players, with Starkey roaming the sidelines. Starkey prepared LSU in practice all week with Mulkey away, as well.
According to On3 , analyst Carolyn Peck opened the SEC Network broadcast with the news about Mulkey.
"On Monday, she got the news of an unexpected death in her family. She has been away, taking care of her family," Peck said, according to On3 . "She told me that she's going to be on the bench, but she's probably not going to be the Kim Mulkey that we're used to seeing because she's still dealing with that.
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"Kim told me when she first got a head coaching job at Baylor, she told them, 'If I had to choose between basketball and family, it's going to be about family.' So she's been away, taking care of her family, going through this grief. It's been Bob Starkey who has prepared this team for the SEC tournament."
Starkey, a longtime college basketball assistant coach (both men's and women's), has been on Mulkey's staff since she arrived at LSU in 2022. It marked a return to Baton Rouge for Starkey, who split tenures with the Tigers men's and women's basketball programs from 1989-2011.
Mulkey, 62, is 118-18 overall in four seasons at LSU. At the time of this writing, LSU is currently leading Florida 53-34 at halftime at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
If No. 3 seed LSU beats Florida, the Tigers would face No. 1 Texas in the semifinals of the SEC tournament on Saturday, March 8 at 6 p.m. CT.
This story will be updated
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Kim Mulkey not coaching LSU Friday in SEC game due to death in family
