LSU Tigers women's basketball

The LSU Tigers women's basketball team represents Louisiana State University in NCAA Division I women's college basketball. The head coach is Kim Mulkey, the former head coach at Baylor University, who was hired on April 25, 2021 to replace Nikki Fargas, who had been head coach since the 2011–2012 season. The team plays its home games in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center located on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

LSU Tigers women's basketball
2024-25 LSU Tigers women's basketball team
UniversityLouisiana State University
Founded1975 (48 years ago)
Athletic directorScott Woodward
Head coachKim Mulkey (4th season)
ConferenceSEC
LocationBaton Rouge, Louisiana
ArenaPete Maravich Assembly Center
(capacity: 13,472)
NicknameLady Tigers
ColorsPurple and gold[1]
   
Uniforms
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Away
Alternate jersey
Team colours
Alternate
NCAA tournament champions
2023
NCAA tournament Final Four
2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2023
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
1986, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2023, 2024
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1984, 1986, 1989, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2023, 2024
NCAA tournament appearances
1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024
AIAW tournament runner-up
1977
AIAW tournament Final Four
1977
AIAW tournament appearances
1977
Conference tournament champions
1991, 2003
Conference regular season champions
2005, 2006, 2008
Pete Maravich Assembly Center

LSU was the 2023 NCAA national champion, having defeated Iowa 102–85 in the national championship game.

Roster

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2024–25 LSU Tigers women's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year Previous school Hometown
G 1 Mjracle Sheppard 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) So Montverde Academy
Mississippi State
Kent, WA    
F 2 Amani Bartlett 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Sr Houston Christian HS Cleveland, TX    
G 4 Flau'jae Johnson 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Jr Sprayberry HS Savannah, GA    
F 5 Sa'Myah Smith 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) RS So DeSoto HS DeSoto, TX    
G/F 8 Jersey Wolfenbarger 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Jr Northside HS
Arkansas
Fort Smith, AR    
G 12 Mikaylah Williams 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) So Parkway HS Bossier City, LA    
G 13 Last-Tear Poa 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) Sr UC Senior Secondary College Lake Ginninderra
Northwest Florida State College
Melbourne, Australia    
G 14 Izzy Besselman 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Jr Episcopal School Baton Rouge, LA    
G 16 Kailyn Gilbert 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Jr IMG Academy
Arizona
Tampa Bay, FL    
C 23 Aalyah Del Rosario 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) So The Webb School The Bronx, NY    
G 24 Aneesah Morrow 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Sr Simeon Career Academy
DePaul
Chicago, IL    
G 30 Jada Richard 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) Fr Lafayette Christian Academy Lafayette, LA    
G 50 Shayeann Day-Wilson 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) Jr Royal Crown
Miami
Toronto, ON    
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

History

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Through the 2023–24 season, LSU has made 30 AIAW/NCAA tournament appearances including 16 Sweet Sixteens, 10 Elite Eights, and six Final Fours – highlighted by a National championship in 2023. The Lady Tigers have won the SEC regular season championship three times and the SEC Tournament championship twice.

Coleman-Swanner era (1975–1982)

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The LSU women's basketball team started play in 1975 as the "Ben-Gals," with coach Jinks Coleman. In just their second season of play, the team made it to the AIAW national championship game before losing to top-ranked Delta State, 68–55. Coleman stepped down in the middle of the 1978–79 season and was replaced by Barbara Swanner, who in turn led the team for three and a half seasons. The 1981–82 season saw the NCAA become the governing body of collegiate women's basketball. LSU did not play in the first NCAA tournament.

Sue Gunter era (1982–2004)

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Future Hall of Fame coach Sue Gunter was hired to replace Swanner. Gunter would lead the Lady Tigers for the next 22 seasons. Gunter led the Lady Tigers to 14 NCAA tournament appearances. Although she only won three regular season titles, for most of her tenure the SEC was dominated by national powers Tennessee, Auburn and Ole Miss. Gunter took a medical leave of absence in the middle of the 2003–04 season. Her top assistant, Pokey Chatman, who had played for Gunter in the late 1980s and early 1990s and served as an assistant coach since the end of her playing days, took over as interim coach and led the Tigers to their first Final Four. However, Gunter was still officially head coach, and LSU credits the entire season to her. Gunter retired after the season, and Chatman was named her permanent successor.

Pokey Chatman era (2004–2007)

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Pokey Chatman led the team to two more consecutive Final Four appearances and was highly regarded as coach. However, during the 2006–2007 season, just prior to the NCAA Tournament, Chatman resigned after allegations of improper conduct with a former player surfaced. She was replaced on an interim basis by longtime assistant Bob Starkey, who coached the team during the 2007 NCAA tournament, leading them to a fourth consecutive Final Four.

Van Chancellor era (2007–2011)

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Van Chancellor, the former head coach for Ole Miss and the Houston Comets, was hired at the end of the 2006–2007 season as a permanent replacement. In his first year as coach, Chancellor led the Lady Tigers to the SEC regular season championship. The Lady Tigers were runner-up in the 2008 SEC women's basketball tournament and made the NCAA Final Four for a fifth consecutive year. LSU joined UConn as the only two schools ever to reach five consecutive Final Fours.

Nikki Fargas era (2011–2021)

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Nikki Fargas was hired for the 2011–2012 season and coached the team for ten seasons. She finished with an overall record of 176–126 and SEC Conference record of 80–76. She made the NCAA Tournament six times while making two Sweet Sixteen appearances.

Kim Mulkey era (2021–present)

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On April 25, 2021, LSU announced the signing of Kim Mulkey to replace Fargas as head coach. Mulkey played at Louisiana Tech, where she also went on to be an assistant and associate head coach for 15 years. Prior to accepting the offer to coach LSU, she was the head coach for Baylor University, where she won three national championships in 21 seasons.[2]

On December 2, 2021, Mulkey led the team to their first win versus a ranked team by defeating #14 Iowa State 69–60 in the Maravich Center giving the team a 7–1 record for the year.

On April 2, 2023, LSU would defeat the Iowa Hawkeyes, by the score of 102–85, to win their first ever national championship; the game also marked the highest scoring championship game in women's NCAA history.[3]

In April 2024, the team made international headlines after it missed the singing of the national anthem before their NCAA Tournament defeat against Iowa. Louisiana’s Republican governor, Jeff Landry, called for the scholarships of any athlete who missed the singing of the anthem to be revoked.[4]

Championships

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Final Fours

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LSU has played in six Final Fours in the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship tournament.

Year Coach Record
2003–04 Sue Gunter 27–7
2004–05 Pokey Chatman 33–3
2005–06 Pokey Chatman 31–4
2006–07 Pokey Chatman 30–8
2007–08 Van Chancellor 31–6
2022–23 Kim Mulkey 32–2
Total Final Fours: 6

Conference championships

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LSU has won three regular-season conference championships and two conference tournament championships in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

Year Conference Coach Overall Record Conference Record
1990–91 SEC tournament Sue Gunter 24–7 5–4
2002–03 SEC tournament Sue Gunter 30–4 11–3
2004–05 SEC Pokey Chatman 33–3 14–0
2005–06 SEC Pokey Chatman 31–4 13–1
2007–08 SEC Van Chancellor 31–6 14–0
Total conference championships: 5

Year by year results

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Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason Coaches' poll AP poll
Jinks Coleman (Independent) (1975–1979)
1975–76 Jinks Coleman 17–14 AIAW Regional
1976–77 Jinks Coleman 29–8 AIAW Second Place 11
1977–78 Jinks Coleman 37–3 AIAW Regional 10
1978–79 Jinks Coleman 8–7
Jinks Coleman: 91–32
Barbara Swanner (Independent, SEC) (1979–1982)
1979 Barbara Swanner 5–5 AIAW Regional
1979–80 Barbara Swanner 17–17 AIAW Regional
1980–81 Barbara Swanner 17–15 AIAW Regional
1981–82 Barbara Swanner 18–13
Barbara Swanner: 57–50
Sue Gunter (SEC) (1982–2004)
1982–83 Sue Gunter 20–7 6–2 T-1st (SEC West) 20
1983–84 Sue Gunter 23–7 5–3 T-2nd (SEC West) NCAA Sweet Sixteen 8
1984–85 Sue Gunter 20–9 4–4 3rd (SEC West) NWIT Champions
1985–86 Sue Gunter 27–6 6–3 T-2nd NCAA Elite Eight 8 9
1986–87 Sue Gunter 20–8 6–3 T-4th NCAA Second Round (Bye) 19 14
1987–88 Sue Gunter 18–11 6–3 3rd NCAA First Round
1988–89 Sue Gunter 19–11 5–4 T-4th NCAA Sweet Sixteen 14
1989–90 Sue Gunter 21–9 4–5 T-6th NCAA First Round 23
1990–91 Sue Gunter 24–7 5–4 4th# NCAA Second Round (Bye) 18 8
1991–92 Sue Gunter 16–13 4–7 T-7th
1992–93 Sue Gunter 9–18 0–11 12th
1993–94 Sue Gunter 11–16 2–9 T-10th
1994–95 Sue Gunter 7–20 1–10 T-10th
1995–96 Sue Gunter 21–11 4–7 T-8th NWIT Third Place
1996–97 Sue Gunter 25–5 9–3 T-3rd NCAA Sweet Sixteen 12 9
1997–98 Sue Gunter 19–13 7–7 T-6th WNIT Semifinals
1998–99 Sue Gunter 22–8 10–4 2nd NCAA Sweet Sixteen 21 21
1999–2000 Sue Gunter 25–7 11–3 3rd NCAA Elite Eight 8 15
2000–01 Sue Gunter 20–11 8–6 T-4th NCAA Second Round 20 18
2001–02 Sue Gunter 18–12 8–6 T-4th NCAA Second Round 22 22
2002–03 Sue Gunter 30–4 11–3 2nd# NCAA Elite Eight 5 3
2003–04 Sue Gunter 27–7 10–4 2nd NCAA Final Four 3 19
Sue Gunter: 442–220 132–111
Pokey Chatman (SEC) (2004–2007)
2004–05 Pokey Chatman 33–3 14–0 1st NCAA Final Four 3 2
2005–06 Pokey Chatman 31–4 13–1 1st NCAA Final Four 4 5
2006–07 Pokey Chatman 30–8 10–4 T-3rd NCAA Final Four 4 12
Pokey Chatman: 94–15 37–5
Van Chancellor (SEC) (2007–2011)
2007–08 Van Chancellor 31–6 14–0 1st NCAA Final Four 4 6
2008–09 Van Chancellor 19–11 10–4 T-2nd NCAA Second Round
2009–10 Van Chancellor 21–10 9–7 T-3rd NCAA Second Round 25 21
2010–11 Van Chancellor 19–13 8–8 T-5th
Van Chancellor: 90–40 41–19
Nikki Fargas (SEC) (2011–2021)
2011–12 Nikki Caldwell 23–11 10–6 T-4th NCAA Second Round
2012–13 Nikki Caldwell 22–12 10–6 6th NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2013–14 Nikki Fargas 21–13 7–9 T-6th NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2014–15 Nikki Fargas 17–14 10–6 T-4th NCAA First Round
2015–16 Nikki Fargas 10–21 3–13 13th
2016–17 Nikki Fargas 20–12 8–8 7th NCAA First Round
2017–18 Nikki Fargas 18–7 10–4 3rd NCAA First Round 24
2018–19 Nikki Fargas 16–13 7–9 6th Turned down NIT Bid
2019–20 Nikki Fargas 20–10 9-7 7th Tournament Cancelled Due to Covid-19
2020–21 Nikki Fargas 9–13 6–8 8th
Nikki Fargas: 176–126 80–76
Kim Mulkey (SEC) (2021–present)
2021–22 Kim Mulkey 26–6 13–3 2nd NCAA Second Round
2022–23 Kim Mulkey 34–2 15–1 2nd NCAA National Champions 9 1
2023–24 Kim Mulkey 31–6 13-3 2nd NCAA Elite Eight 11 13
Kim Mulkey: 91–14 37–7
Total: 1,039–497

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Conference tournament winners noted with #
Source: [5]

Postseason

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NCAA Tournament history & seeds

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Years '84 '86 '87 '88 '89 '90 '91 '97 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '12 '13 '14 '15 '17 '18 '22 '23 '24
Seeds 5 2 4 9 4 9 2 4 4 3 6 6 1 4 1 1 3 2 6 7 5 6 7 11 8 6 3 3 3

NCAA Division I

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Year Seed Round Opponent Result
1984 #5 First Round
Sweet Sixteen
#4 Missouri
#1 Louisiana Tech
W 92-82
L 67-92
1986 #2 Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
#10 Middle Tenn
#3 Ohio State
#4 Tennessee
W 78-65
W 81-80
L 65-67
1987 #4 Second Round #5 Southern Illinois L 56-70
1988 #9 First Round #8 Stephen F. Austin L 62-84
1989 #4 Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
#5 Purdue
#1 Louisiana Tech
W 54-53
L 68-85
1990 #9 First Round #8 Southern Miss L 65-75
1991 #2 First Round #10 Lamar L 73-93
1997 #4 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
#13 Maine
#12 Marquette
#1 Old Dominion
W 88-79
W 71-58
L 49-62
1999 #4 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
#13 Evansville
#5 Notre Dame
#1 Louisiana Tech
W 78-69
W 74-64
L 52-73
2000 #3 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
#14 Liberty
#11 Stephen F. Austin
#2 Duke
#1 UConn
W 77-54
W 57-45
W 79-66
L 71-86
2001 #6 First Round
Second Round
#11 Arizona State
#3 Purdue
W 83-66
L 70-73
2002 #6 First Round
Second Round
#11 Santa Clara
#3 Colorado
W 84-78
L 58-69
2003 #1 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
#16 Texas State
#8 Green Bay
#5 Louisiana Tech
#2 Texas
W 86-50
W 80-69
W 69-63
L 60-78
2004 #4 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
#13 Austin Peay
#12 Maryland
#1 Texas
#3 Georgia
#1 Tennessee
W 83-66
W 76-61
W 71-55
W 62-60
L 50-52
2005 #1 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
#16 Stetson
#9 Arizona
#13 Liberty
#2 Duke
#2 Baylor
W 70-36
W 76-43
W 90-48
W 59-49
L 57-68
2006 #1 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
#16 Florida Atlantic
#9 Washington
#4 DePaul
#3 Stanford
#1 Duke
W 72-48
W 72-49
W 66-56
W 62-59
L 45-64
2007 #3 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
#14 UNC Asheville
#11 West Virginia
#10 Florida State
#1 Connecticut
#4 Rutgers
W 77-39
W 49-43
W 55-43
W 73-50
L 35-59
2008 #2 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
#15 Jackson State
#7 Marist
#3 Oklahoma State
#1 North Carolina
#1 Tennessee
W 66-32
W 68-49
W 67-52
W 56-50
L 46-47
2009 #6 First Round
Second Round
#11 Green Bay
#3 Louisville
W 69-59
L 52-62
2010 #7 First Round
Second Round
#10 Hartford
#2 Duke
W 60-39
L 52-60
2012 #5 First Round
Second Round
#12 San Diego State
#4 Penn State
W 64-56
L 80-90
2013 #6 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
#11 Green Bay
#3 Penn State
#2 California
W 75-71
W 71-66
L 63-73
2014 #7 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
#10 Georgia Tech
#2 West Virginia
#3 Louisville
W 98-78
W 76-67
L 47-73
2015 #11 First Round #6 South Florida L 64-73
2017 #8 First Round #9 California L 52-55
2018 #6 First Round #11 Central Michigan L 69-78
2022 #3 First Round
Second Round
#14 Jackson State
#6 Ohio State
W 83–77
L 64–79
2023 #3 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
National Championship
#14 Hawai'i
#6 Michigan
#2 Utah
#9 Miami (FL)
#1 Virginia Tech
#2 Iowa
W 73–50
W 66–42
W 66–63
W 54–42
W 79–72
W 102–85
2024 #3 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
#14 Rice
#11 Middle Tennessee
#2 UCLA
#1 Iowa
W 70–60
W 83–56
W 78–69
L 87–94

AIAW Division I

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The Lady Tigers made one appearance in the AIAW National Division I basketball tournament, with a combined record of 3–1.

Year Round Opponent Result
1977 First Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
National Championship
Western Washington
Baylor
Immaculata
Delta State
W, 91–53
W, 71–64
W, 74–68
L, 55–68

Player awards

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National awards

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SEC Awards

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Seimone Augustus - 2005, 2006
Sylvia Fowles - 2008
Angel Reese - 2024

Prominent players

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Retired numbers

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No. Member Position Career Year No. Retired
33 Seimone Augustus SG 2002–2006 2010
34 Sylvia Fowles C 2004–2008 2017

LSU All-Americans

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Player Position Year(s)
Angel Reese F 2023, 2023 (Most Outstanding Player of the NCAAW Tournament, National Champion)
Seimone Augustus G 2004, 2005 (National Player of the Year), 2006 (National Player of the Year)
Pokey Chatman G 1991
Marie Ferdinand G 2001
Sylvia Fowles C 2007, 2008
Julie Gross F 1978
Joyce Walker G 1983, 1984

Arena

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Pete Maravich Assembly Center

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Pete Maravich Assembly Center

The Pete Maravich Assembly Center is a 13,215-seat multi-purpose arena in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The arena opened in 1972 and is home of the LSU Lady Tigers basketball team. It was originally known as the LSU Assembly Center, but was renamed in honor of Pete Maravich, a Tiger basketball legend, shortly after his death in 1988. The Maravich Center is known to locals as "The PMAC" or "The Palace that Pete Built," or by its more nationally known nickname, "The Deaf Dome," coined by Dick Vitale.[6]

The slightly oval building is located directly to the north of Tiger Stadium, and its bright-white roof can be seen in many telecasts of that stadium. The arena concourse is divided into four quadrants: Pete Maravich Pass, The Walk of Champions, Heroes Hall and Midway of Memories. The quadrants highlight former LSU Tiger athletes, individual and team awards and memorabilia pertaining to the history of LSU Lady Tigers and LSU Tigers basketball teams.[7]

Practice and Training facilities

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LSU Basketball Practice Facility

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LSU Basketball Practice Facility

The LSU Basketball Practice Facility is the practice facility for the LSU Lady Tigers basketball and LSU Tigers basketball teams. The facility is connected to the Pete Maravich Assembly Center through the Northwest portal. The facility features separate, full-size duplicate gymnasiums for the women's and men's basketball teams. They include a regulation NCAA court in length with two regulation high school courts in the opposition direction. The courts are exact replicas of the Maravich Center game court and have two portable goals and four retractable goals. The gymnasiums are equipped with a scoreboard, video filming balcony and scorer's table with video and data connection. The facility also houses team locker rooms, a team lounge, training rooms, a coach's locker room and coach's offices.[8]

The building also includes a two-story lobby and staircase that ascends to the second level where a club room is used for pre-game and post-game events and is connected to the Pete Maravich Assembly Center concourse. The lobby includes team displays and graphics, trophy cases and memorabilia of LSU basketball. A 900-pound bronze statue of LSU legend Shaquille O'Neal is located in front of the facility.[8]

LSU Strength and Conditioning facility

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The LSU Tigers basketball strength training and conditioning facility is located in the LSU Strength and Conditioning facility. Built in 1997, it is located adjacent to Tiger Stadium.[9] Measuring 10,000-square feet with a flat surface, it has 28 multi-purpose power stations, 36 assorted sectorized machines and 10 dumbbell stations along with a plyometric specific area, medicine balls, hurdles, plyometric boxes and assorted speed and agility equipment.[10] It also features 2 treadmills, 4 stationary bikes, 2 elliptical cross trainers, a stepper and step mill.[11]

Head coaches

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Name Years Record Pct.
Jinks Coleman 1975–1979 91–32 (.740)
Barbara Swanner 1979–1982 57–50 (.533)
Sue Gunter 1982–2004 442–221 (.667)
Pokey Chatman 2004–2007 90–14 (.865)
Bob Starkey (interim) 2007 4–1 (.800)
Van Chancellor 2007–2011 90–40 (.692)
Nikki Fargas 2011–2021 148–106 (.583)
Kim Mulkey 2021–present 91–14 (.867)

References

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  1. ^ "Brand Guidelines: Colors". LSUAthletics.LingoApp.com. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  2. ^ "Hall of Fame coach Mulkey leaves Baylor for LSU". ESPN.com. 2021-04-25. Archived from the original on 2021-04-27. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  3. ^ Buercklin, Kacey (2023-04-02). "LSU Tigers win 1st national championship in women's basketball". WDSU. Archived from the original on 2023-04-02. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  4. ^ "Governor threatens scholarships after LSU women miss anthem at NCAA tournament". The Guardian. 3 April 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  5. ^ "Media Guide". LSU. Archived from the original on 13 August 2013. Retrieved 11 Aug 2013.
  6. ^ "Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Baton Rouge". www.tvtrip.com. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  7. ^ "LSU Men's Basketball Facilities". lsusports.net. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  8. ^ a b "LSU Basketball Practice Facility". lsusports.net. Archived from the original on 10 February 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  9. ^ "LSU Strength and Conditioning". lsusports.net. September 29, 2009. Archived from the original on 2013-09-03. Retrieved 2013-08-28.
  10. ^ "A Strength Training Legacy" (PDF). biggerfasterstronger.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-10-28. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
  11. ^ "LSU Tigers' Weight Room". ESPN The Magazine. November 14, 2012. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
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