MiLaysia Fulwiley: “Every time we have played South Carolina, she has kicked our rear end”: Kim Mulkey reveals details around recruiting MiLaysia Fulwiley

In one of the biggest transfer portal moves this offseason, Kim Mulkey's LSU Tigers landed former South Carolina guard MiLaysia Fulwiley on Apr. 25. After two seasons with the South Carolina Gamecocks, Fulwiley chose to look for a new home after the NCAA championship loss in early April.

During an interview on "Get Gordon Presents," released on YouTube on Friday, the LSU coach spoke about the new player's arrival and the reasons she was a target for the program.

"I would sum it up like this. Every time we've played South Carolina, she in particular, has kicked our rear end. Whether it be in a regular season game or the SEC tournament, she just was special every time she played LSU," Kim Mulkey said.

In the past season's South Carolina 66-56 win over the Tigers, MiLaysia Fulwiley scored eight points and added three rebounds and three steals while coming off the bench for the Gamecocks. But it was Fulwiley's heroics in the 2024 SEC Championship Game that stand out.

On that occasion, the Columbia, South Carolina native, scored 24 points, leading the Gamecocks to a tightly fought 79-72 win over LSU.

When asked about how she got the former South Carolina player to join the program, Kim Mulkey shared what the recruiting process was like.

"I spoke to her and her mother one time," Mulkey said. "She has not even come here on a visit, she's played against us enough to know our style of play. These young people do their homework. They look at rosters, they look at openings in the starting five, they look at you know openings in the rotation."

MiLaysia Fulwiley averaged 11.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, two assists, and 1.5 steals per game last season, while being part of the South Carolina team that won the SEC and made a run to the NCAA National Championship Game, where they lost to the UConn Huskies.

The guard will now join an LSU squad that is anchored by Flau'jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams. The Tigers finished with a 31-6 record last season and made it to the Elite Eight, where they lost to the top-seeded UCLA Bruins.

Lisa Leslie speaks on MiLaysia Fulwiley's move to Baton Rouge

MiLaysia Fulwiley's transfer to LSU has been one of the most talked-about moves in the transfer portal this year, and WNBA legend Lisa Leslie shared her thoughts Friday on "Women's Fast Break on SI".

Leslie, a close friend of South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, believes the guard didn't have patience after coming off the bench almost exclusively with the Gamecocks.

"Sometimes players don't really have the patience to sit and stay in line," Leslie said. "Everybody wants to play now, and they want to play the whole time. And I get it.

"It's not that any kid shouldn't want to, but we'll see if the grass is greener on the other side. I'm sure playing for LSU, MiLaysia will have more of a green light."

South Carolina and LSU have won three of the last four NCAA championships, with the Gamecocks getting the hardware in 2022 and 2024, while the Tigers won the natty in 2023.

About the author

Allan Wolburg Robles is a College Sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over 17 years of experience in the field writing for publications including Reforma, Yahoo! OddsShark and Apuesta. Allan studied Communications at Anáhuac University, where he learned what would become the basis of a trade that was already a dream of his before starting college.

His favorite team is Army West Point as when he was young, Allan lived in West Point for a couple of years, went to pretty much every home game, a couple of Army-Navy games and even got to meet some of the players.

Allan's favorite players of all time include Tommie Frazier, who was unbelievable during the Nebraska dynasty of the early 90's. Tim Tebow was also a favorite, mainly because of his leadership skills, although he was also awesome on the football field. As a fan of defensive football, (or what's left of it), Sean Taylor could take over a game for Miami.

Allan has always considered himself a student of the game more than a fan of it. So the historical part and evolution of the game, as well as the ins and outs of what happens on the field, and being able to put it into words for the audience, are his biggest strengths.

Besides sports, Allan enjoys reading books, watching movies and spending time with his dogs.

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Edited by Ruth John S