re: Im convinced Kim Mulkey could be a successful mens basketball coach

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Recruiting would be a different story.

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Mama's walking into the homes of single parent mom

My guess is they would have a major recruiting advantage.

If UK had not gone cheap in paying Pat's moving cost, she would have won all those Natty's for UK instead of UT.

I mean Dawn for sure could. Mulkey is on the same level. Both could because they know ball.

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Mama's walking into the homes of single parent mom

My guess is they would have a major recruiting advantage.

If UK had not gone cheap in paying Pat's moving cost, she would have won all those Natty's for UK instead of UT.

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You're telling me a generational Tennessean who was so utterly Tennessean that when her water broke on the way home from a recruiting trip, she would not allow the pilot to land in the state of Virginia because she refused to allow her child be born anywhere but Tennessee?

The ONLY way UK gets Pat Summitt is if we never hire her. It's just who she was. Once she was here, she was never going to leave willingly. Majors and Fulmer were the same way.

As for recruiting... I think Summitt would have succeeded anywhere with just about anyone but IDK about Mulkey. Pat was a lot of fun. She was tough but ultimately competitive and fair and people saw that. They also saw how fun she was and even if Pearl had turned out to be a shite coach we'd have loved him for the respect he showed her and the awesome odd couple vibe they had together. He was adept at showing Pat's hilarious side to a broader audience (Tennessee fans saw it as did people who knew her but I don't think the broader world saw it until those two started doing a lot of events together and came across like a real life buddy movie together.

IDK about Mulkey. She comes across less fun.

As for men's teams, I see no reason why either would have issues coaching them beyond simply getting the job. It would've been difficult to get an AD to take a chance on them early on. The hardest time would've been Summit started coaching and even the idea of women playing full court and having women's sports was altogether new but midway through her career if Summitt had wanted a men's job she could've gotten one. I think the issue there was she knew what she meant to the women's game and because she'd been a pioneer, there was no way she would've seriously considered coaching men's team.

As for the UT men's offer mentioned upthread... IDK. Fans and the press would've given Pat a shot at becoming HC of the football team if she'd have taken it. Men's basketball is well below that. But that's how much she was respected here. I don't know if a serious offer was ever made by the AD for the men's basketball program but she would've been abandoning everything she worked for and it was never her personality to do that. Women like Pat (trailblazer's more broadly) do what they do so that the next woman (or man) that comes along can have that choice.

Everyone knows the women's game is far superior anyway. It's the fundamentals.

- LSU fans

If she can get the players and get their respect and buy into a successful system then there’s no reason a woman can’t coach men.

But the hurdles may be too big right now, the future may be different…

I love Coach Mulkey and what she has done for LSU. But she can’t coach men’s basketball. Sorry.

Back when UK had Cliff as AD and Otis as the President Pat was offered (and accepted) the UK job. Then UK balked at paying to move her to Lexington. This sounded like Cliff as Singletary's wife Gloria could sell ice to Eskimo's and was a huge supporter of women's rights and women's college basketball behind the scenes. Otis and Gloria lived next door to a family member so I was around a lot.

In addition I was at dinner with Pat and Mikki and I brought the story up and Pat confirmed it. Although the "cost" of moving was more that the 50 dollars it was still very cheap (I think it was between 100 and 200 dollars) and sounded very much like Cliff being a cheap dumbass.

At the time (and to believe) UK had the better program and resources so it would have been the better job. If Bear Bryant had beaten Neyland just once in a decade he probably stays at UK and if Cliff were not so cheap Pat would have been UK's women's basketball coach.

3 of the greatest coaches of the last century would all have been at UK

(mind blown gif)

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Often neglected is Leon's role in her success at La Tech and Baylor.

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She was never a head coach a La Tech. She was groomed by Barmore to be his successor but Tech wouldn’t guarantee the number of years she wanted. She bolted to Baylor. At the time La Tech was a top 3 wbb program. Now not so much. A complete blunder by admin at La Tech.

Well it quite easy to transgender yourself today so Mulkey could just declare herself a Man.
And Bingo she could coach both LSU squads.

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I doubt she could recruit very well

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Why do you say this?

She has proven good at out recruiting her competition in women's players

She is a woman and guessing in home visits with mothers would give her a decided advantage her male counterparts did not have.