The mother of LSU star guard Flau’jae Johnson fought for Kim Mulkey after a recent Washington Post article portrayed the Tigers coach as someone who holds grudges and has had strained relationships with former players, including some who accused him of treating gay players. differently.
Kia Brooks, who manages rapper and social media star Johnson, explained in a recent interview why she respects Mulkey, 61,’s coaching style.
“I trust him with my child. Honestly, I do, because she’s not going baby Flau’jae,” Brooks said in a conversation with Baton Rouge-based WAFB Channel 9. “She’s going to make a woman out of her.” When she leaves here, she’ll be a woman, you know what I mean? And I respect that because I’m not easy on Flau. I was hard on her.
“Everything you want in life, you have to get it, you have to fight for it. There’s a million kids out here trying to do what you’re doing, so what’s going to separate you?
Brooks also defended Mulkey against criticism she received online as the high-profile Washington Post article was published just hours before LSU’s Sweet 16 win over UCLA on Saturday.
“It’s kind of crazy because nowadays, at a certain age, I just feel like people should know, if you haven’t met anyone, how can you judge them?” » Brooks continued.
“And these are 40, 50-year-old internet users throwing daggers at a woman they’ve never spoken to, which seems very bizarre to me. I could see kids doing it, but adults – it seems like at this point in your life you should know, I never even really met this woman or gave her a chance before judging her.
“I met Coach Mulkey. Everything Coach Mulkey told me, or everything I asked her about my kid, she kept it real, you know what I’m saying? And when Flau’jae says she’s an OG – to be there to handle the different situations that can arise with the players, parents and coach, and as a coach I have to deal with so many things .
Johnson, 20, is one of the faces of the NIL era, earning millions while wearing the hats of NCAA champion, rapper and full-time student.
The 2023 SEC freshman praised Mulkey after LSU’s 78-69 win over UCLA in the women’s NCAA tournament on Saturday.
“He’s my coach and I love coach Kim,” Johnson said when asked if she and her teammates felt the need to defend Mulkey. “She believed in me when no one believed in me.
“When I was in my recruiting process, all the schools were telling me, ‘You have to choose music or you have to choose basketball.’ But she didn’t. She let me be who I want to be, she supported me until the end. I love Coach Mulkey.
Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Washington Post article describes Mulkey as having issues with certain players, primarily during her coaching years at Baylor from 2000 to 2021 — when she won three titles — because of her brash coaching style.
“Shame was a frequent tool in Mulkey’s coaching arsenal, whether during training drills or in speeches to the team,” the report said.
The report also alleges that players were called out for their weight under Mulkey, with frequent weigh-ins in front of the entire team.
Mulkey, who is in his third season at LSU, threatened to sue the Washington Post if it published a false story about him in a fiery rant before the second round of the team’s March Madness contest.
His lawyers denied treating gay players “more harshly or differently” in a letter to the Washington Post.
Mulkey signed a 10-year, $36 million extension with LSU after coaching the Tigers to their first national title in a 105-85 win over Iowa last year.
LSU and Iowa will face off Monday night in a championship rematch in the women’s Elite Eight.
New York Post
