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Down by one with a minute and a half left in Friday's NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen game, LSU's Kailyn Gilbert blocked a shot from Zoe Brooks on in the paint after the latter scored four straight points for NC State.
LSU didn't give up a bucket the rest of the game, holding off the Wolfpack for an 80-73 win. Following the contest, the Tigers' head coach Kim Mulkey talked about Gilbert's defensive transformation after transferring in from Arizona.
When Gilbert visited Baton Rouge before committing, Mulkey and associate head coach Bob Starkey got honest with her about her lack of commitment to defense and what it means for a future at LSU.
"We had watched her on film and told her the way she performed defensively wasn't going to fly at LSU," Mulkey said. "'You're never going to see the floor so if you commit to defense, we know what you can do offensively.'
"This is one of those moments in your coaching career. She sat up in her chair and she leaned over toward me and said, 'Coach, now I'm just going to be honest with you... I've never been worried about the defensive end because I've always thought I'm going to get it back for you on the offensive end.'"
By choosing LSU as her transfer destination, Gilbert made a commitment to improving particularly on defense. The hard work came to light throughout the entire season as she started getting more minutes and culminated in her game-changing play on Friday.
"To watch her on-ball defense every day in practice get better and better... like she said, she was getting beat off the dribble there and makes a defensive play," Mulkey said of the block on Brooks. "It's only fitting that we talk about that in this game."
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Kim Mulkey reveals convo with Kailyn Gilbert that led to key play
Continue reading...
LSU didn't give up a bucket the rest of the game, holding off the Wolfpack for an 80-73 win. Following the contest, the Tigers' head coach Kim Mulkey talked about Gilbert's defensive transformation after transferring in from Arizona.
When Gilbert visited Baton Rouge before committing, Mulkey and associate head coach Bob Starkey got honest with her about her lack of commitment to defense and what it means for a future at LSU.
"We had watched her on film and told her the way she performed defensively wasn't going to fly at LSU," Mulkey said. "'You're never going to see the floor so if you commit to defense, we know what you can do offensively.'
"This is one of those moments in your coaching career. She sat up in her chair and she leaned over toward me and said, 'Coach, now I'm just going to be honest with you... I've never been worried about the defensive end because I've always thought I'm going to get it back for you on the offensive end.'"
By choosing LSU as her transfer destination, Gilbert made a commitment to improving particularly on defense. The hard work came to light throughout the entire season as she started getting more minutes and culminated in her game-changing play on Friday.
"To watch her on-ball defense every day in practice get better and better... like she said, she was getting beat off the dribble there and makes a defensive play," Mulkey said of the block on Brooks. "It's only fitting that we talk about that in this game."
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Kim Mulkey reveals convo with Kailyn Gilbert that led to key play
Continue reading...
