Kim Mulkey praises Flau'Jae Johnson following LSU women's basketball's Elite Eight loss
Kim Mulkey praises Flau'Jae Johnson following LSU women's basketball's Elite Eight loss
Following LSU women's basketball's loss in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight against UCLA, Tigers' head coach Kim Mulkey talked about her star guard.
Flau'Jae Johnson, who may declare for the WNBA in the coming days, scored a game-high 28 points against the Bruins in what may have been her final game donning the purple and gold. Mulkey reflected on Johnson's decision to play for her and how instrumental it was to the success of the program. The junior guard signed to LSU during Mulkey's inaugural season at the helm.
"When I took the LSU job, Flau'Jae Johnson was the first McDonald's All-American that I signed at LSU," Mulkey said. "[I] had not coached and won anything at LSU and she came to LSU and so she jump-started our program really.
"We brought in Angel [Reese] and lots of other players but Flau'Jae was a high school All-American and we got her. I'm forever indebted to Flau'Jae Johnson."
If her LSU career ended on Sunday, Johnson would leave Baton Rouge as a national champion, an All-American and three-time All-SEC honoree. She averaged double-digits all three years and led the team in scoring for much of 2024-25. Johnson surpassed 1,500 points and averaged 18.3 points per game.
Against the Bruins, Johnson scored 24 of her 28 points in the second half as she led the Tigers' comeback effort. Though she and the team fell short, Mulkey recognized her spirited play and credited her as part of the reason why the program is where it is.
"That's what All-Americans do," Mulkey said. "They just try to figure out some way to impact the game and she did."
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