"How dare people attack kids like that": LSU HC Kim Mulkey makes her stance known about the Lady Tigers following Sweet 16 win against UCLA
LSU coach Kim Mulkey was offended by a column featured in the Los Angeles Times that portrayed the clash between the Lady Tigers and the UCLA Lady Bruins as a "reckoning between good and evil."
In a postgame interview following LSU's Sweet 16 win over UCLA, Mulkey slammed the LA Times story which she believed had crossed a line. She described the column as sexist, awful, and wrong.
"I'm not going to let sexism continue. And if you don't think that's sexism, then you're in denial. How dare people attack kids like that," she asked.
Mulkey was further incensed by the depiction of her team. The pre-game commentary written by LA Times reporter Ben Bolch described the Lady Tigers as the sport's villains, hot sauce, and dirty debutantes while UCLA were portrayed as saintlike, and were compared to milk and cookies.
"But the one thing I'm not going to let you do, I'm not going to let you attack young people, and there were some things in this commentary that you should be offended by as women. It was so sexist. It was good versus evil in that game today. Evil? Called us dirty debutantes? Are you kidding me," the four-time champion coach said.
"I’m not gonna let you talk about 18 to 21-year-old kids in that tone. It was even sexist for this reporter to say UCLA was ‘milk and cookies,’” she added.
The column was published a day before the highly-anticipated Washington Post article about Mulkey was finally released. The piece delved into her background and coaching career. However, she threatened to sue the newspaper even before the article came out, as she claimed to have credible information regarding her portrayal in a negative light.
Also Read: LSU HC Kim Mulkey once opened up about sacrifices she made to save her marriage: “I offered to quit my job”
LSU's Angel Reese defends Mulkey
Superstar player Angel Reese defended Mulkey and her teammates in the wake of the LA Times article.
The 6-foot-3 forward had the following to say:
"We're the good villains. Everybody wants to beat LSU. Everybody wants to be LSU. You've got to realize like we're not any regular basketball team. We're just changing the game," she said.
Reese finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds in the game. However, it was Flau'jae Johnson's star turn with 24 points and 12 rebounds that helped the Lady Tigers get ahead and secure the win.
Reese spoke about being more than a hooper as well:
"We're doing the unknown. Me being able to be on the court but also off the court, I like to model and do other things. I can do both. Flau'jae (Johnson) can do both. Aneesah (Morrow) can do both. We can all do both. That's what people don't believe in. They don't think that we're focused, and we prove every single night when we get between those lines, we're focused," Reese pointed out.
Morrow finished with 17 points and four rebounds while Mikaylah Williams contributed 12 markers and three boards for the Lady Tigers, who will next face Caitlyn Clark and her rampant Iowa team in the Elite Eight.
Read More: WATCH: $1.8M NIL-valued Angel Reese, Kim Mulkey and Co. celebrate No. 2 LSU's Sweet 16 win with special dance moves