Coach of the Year: Kim Mulkey

Photo credit: Chris Allen

Kim Mulkey is the Baylor Lariat’s 2015-2016 Coach of the Year.

Mulkey led her Lady Bears basketball team to an incredible 36-2 record during the 2015-16 season, which ranks as the second most wins in program history.

The team’s only two losses were to Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Conference season opener when starting point guard Niya Johnson was injured and to No. 2 seed Oregon State in the Elite Eight.

Mulkey guided the Lady Bears to their 13th straight NCAA Tournament appearance, a school record. They earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and made the Elite Eight for the third year in a row. Additionally, they won the Big 12 conference regular season and tournament championships for the sixth straight season.

Mulkey has led the Lady Bear program to three Final Fours and two National Champions since becoming the head coach in 2000. Overall, she has won eight conference tournament championships and seven regular season championships.

Under Mulkey’s guidance, three Lady Bears, Niya Johnson, Alexis Jones and Nina Davis, were named to the All-Big 12 First Team.

Mulkey’s teams have consistently been some of the top ranked teams in the country. This season, they were ranked as high as No. 4 and never dropping as low as No. 7.

Next year, the Lady Bears return all starters except for Johnson and they bring in two five star recruits as they look to defend their conference title.

As a player, Mulkey won a National Championship as the starting point guard for Louisiana Tech before becoming an assistant coach for the Lady Techsters and winning another National Championship. In 2000, Mulkey was hired as the head coach for the Lady Bears.

Under Mulkey’s leadership, Baylor women’s basketball has been a perennial contender and pride of the University. With Mulkey on the sidelines, the Lady Bears will continue to be a force to be reckoned with.