LSU Coach Kim Mulkey has disclosed what she said to Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark after LSU's defeat to Clark's team in the Elite 8 on April 1.
Mulkey shared the details of the conversation during her post-game press conference. You can view a clip from the press conference below.
Iowa is advancing to the Final Four after defeating LSU in a game dominated by Clark.
Here’s the important information:
LSU Coach Kim Mulkey Told Caitlin Clark, ‘I Sure Am Glad You’re Leaving’
Mulkey was asked by a reporter during the post-game press conference about what she said to Clark in the handshake line and the approach she used against her.
“Please tell us about the strategy in terms of how you planned to defend Caitlin Clark. Also, it seemed like you had a lengthy embrace and exchanged some kind words with her after the game in the handshake line. Could you share what those were?” the journalist asked Mulkey.
“There’s not much of a strategy,” she responded. “You have to defend her. Nobody else seems to be able to defend her. We didn’t even defend her last year when we defeated them. She's just a one-of-a-kind player. She makes everyone around her better. That's what the exceptional ones do. I think they had a player who scored 21 in 18; she had 12 assists.
Mulkey went on to say, “Caitlin Clark’s not going to defeat you on her own. It's about what she does to make her other teammates better, which helps her score points and them score points to defeat you.”
She then shared what she said to Clark, stating, “What did I say to her? I said, ‘I sure am glad you’re leaving.’ I said, ‘Girl, you’re something else. Never seen anything like it.'”
Caitlin Clark’s 9 3-Pointers Tied an NCAA Tournament Record
GettyAngel Reese revealed her message to Caitlin Clark as Iowa advanced to the Final Four.
According to the New York Post, Clark scored 41 points against LSU and had 12 assists and seven rebounds. She shot “13-of-29 from the field and 9-of-20 from deep,” the Post reported.
Clark’s score included nine 3-pointers which, according to The Post, “tied the NCAA Women’s Tournament record.”
In the post-game press conference, Mulkey said Iowa’s pace “dictated that third quarter,” and that’s when it hit LSU.
Mulkey said she didn’t ask how bad Angel Reese’s sprained ankle was because the “trainer never came to see me.” She said Reese “being hobbled” wasn’t why they lost the game.
Mulkey was also asked why the LSU team was not on the floor for the National Anthem, and she said that was not done intentionally.
Mulkey said she would feel proud of her team when she looked back at the season. She said she was going to “think of the little things that we overcame, that put us in the Elite 8. You’re one game away from going back to the Final Four. I’m going to eventually think of, ‘How did we get here?'”
She said, “I learn every day as a coach.”
