Kim Mulkey and LSU are having a case of deja vu, this time with star guard Last-Tear Poa.
Last season, Mulkey and the Lady Tigers had to navigate a handful of games early in the season after star forward Angel Reese took time away from the team to focus more on her mental health. At the time, Mulkey spoke sparingly about Reese’s absence, electing not to share details with reporters after having a conversation with the head coach about what she was experiencing.
This year, a similar situation unfolded, this time with Poa, LSU’s senior guard. During the Lady Tigers’ 114-53 win over Xavier on Oct. 25, fans noticed that Poa was nowhere to be found, with the senior not with the team for warmups or on the bench when the game was underway.
After the win, Mulkey was asked about Poa’s absence and much like how she responded to questions about Reese’s time away from the team, the 62-year-old opted not to share any information with reporters. “Poa is taking care of business off the floor,” Mulkey succinctly said, [h/t Cory Diaz].
The legendary head coach also declined to answer any follow-up questions regarding Poa’s status and when the team can expect her to return from her business. “I’ve told you all I’m going to tell you,” she added, per The News Star.
However, it soon appeared as if the senior guard was back with the team, according to her social media accounts. On her Instagram story, Pao posted a boomerang of herself at LSU, getting treatment early in the morning.
Though Pao’s absence was not as highly publicized as Reese’s, the way Mulkey handled the situation is similar, which is in line with the coach doing what she can to keep her player’s private life just that: Private. When Reese spent time away from the team, Mulkey kept the reasoning close to her chest.
It wasn’t until Reese started her own podcast “Unapologetically Angel” that the 22-year-old explained why she took time away from the game. After being benched in the second half of LSU’s 109-79 win over Kent State last season, Reese shared she had a conversation with Mulkey and determined it was best for her and the team to step away for a predetermined time.
“When we played our first game against Colorado and we lost and that was fresh off our national championship game so we was the No. 1 team in the country,” she told co-host Maya Reese at the time. “We lost to them and it was just a whole big uproar after saying, ‘I’m not focused. We’re not focused. She’s only worried about magazines.’ Social media blew me up in both a positive and negative light. For me, it was hard to balance both.
“Coming back to practice, the vibe was weird. The energy was weird in practice because we lost our first game, and our next wasn’t for two weeks. I wasn’t in a good mental space for my own team, for myself and not being able to give my best.
“After the game, I sat the second half of the Kent State game and me and Kim Mulkey kinda got into it about something. After that game, she and I had a conversation, and we talked about what’s best moving forward. She said it was best for me to take some time off.
“My mom came down for Thanksgiving dinner. I watched the games and texted teammates wishing them the best. Being able to have that relationship with Kim who protected me, I always will respect that from her.”
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