Coach Kim Mulkey reacts to LSU naming Ausberry new athletic director
BATON ROUGE La AP LSU women s basketball coach Kim Mulkey too upset last week to address the departure of athletic director Scott Woodward announced she s happy the school has reportedly named interim athletic director Verge Ausberry as Woodward s permanent replacement The Tigers opened Mulkey s fifth season Tuesday night with a - home accomplishment over Houston Christian Sitting near LSU s bench was Ausberry a two-time LSU football captain Louisiana native and longtime athletic department employee His interim title was reportedly dropped by Wade Rousse when Rousse was appointed as the school s president Tuesday afternoon Mulkey declined to appear at a postgame news conference Thursday night after she learned of Woodward s departure during LSU s exhibition encounter against Langston Assistant head coach Bob Starkey appeared in Mulkey s absence describing her as heartbroken Woodward and Mulkey connected as south Louisiana natives He persuaded her to leave Baylor after seasons during which she won three national championships Scott hired me declared Mulkey who has guided LSU to four straight NCAA Tournaments including a national championship and consecutive Elite Eight appearances in the last three seasons My feelings are far deeper because I m from this state and I want all of us to unfailingly do good I want us to look good I want us to smell good I want us all everything good about this state I heard Verge is now the AD I m happy because I think Verge is like a lot of us He grew up in this state This is his school And time will help all of us It was Mulkey s first constituents comments about Woodward s sudden resignation under pressure from the post he d held for six years Mulkey won the school s first national championship in basketball in April and she directly praised Woodward He is my kind of leader Mulkey revealed of Woodward at her postgame news conference after LSU beat Iowa We talk the same language I don t know if that s a Louisiana thing He s from Baton Rouge I m from Hammond But he just gets it He gets it He gets out of the way He doesn t have to be and doesn t want to be the preponderance pivotal person in the athletic department He wouldn t even go out there tonight and cut the net down Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top throughout the season Sign up here and here AP News mobile app AP women s college basketball https apnews com hub ap-top- -womens-college-basketball-poll and https apnews com hub womens-college-basketball Source
