Kim Mulkey, Louisiana State’s basketball coach, crouches on the sideline like a catcher in high heels and wears sleeves adorned with pink flowers and artificial flowers that suggest, “No hibiscus died in the making of this jacket.”
“Look, we’re from Louisiana,” Mulkey, 60, said during an earlier round of the women’s N.C.A.A. tournament. “We like sparkles, we like diamonds, we like Mardi Gras, we like to eat, and we like to party.”
On Sunday, Mulkey wore a tiger-striped pantsuit of gold, pink and black sequins. It would have been a serious mistake, though, to link her ostentatious wardrobe with any triviality as a coach. With L.S.U.’s 102-85 victory over Iowa and its star guard Caitlin Clark on Sunday, Mulkey added a fourth national title as a head coach to the three she won at Baylor. Her most recent came in only her second season at L.S.U., with nine new players on the roster.
“Year 2 at L.S.U., and you’re hoisting this trophy is crazy,” Mulkey said on the court.
She is a divisive figure in college basketball, particularly regarding her complicated relationship with the former Baylor star Brittney Griner, who bristled at Mulkey’s advice to play down her sexuality as a lesbian while playing for the religious school. Their relationship received new…
