Kim Mulkey’s decision to leave Baylor for the head coaching job at LSU on Sunday shook up women’s college basketball.

On Monday, she made her first public comments during an introductory rally at the Maravich Center on LSU’s campus.

Here are our biggest takeaways from the press conference.

She’s not here to mess around

At Baylor, Mulkey won three NCAA championships, 12 regular-season Big 12 titles and 11 Big 12 tournament titles in 21 seasons. Prior to Mulkey’s arrival in Waco, Texas, the program had never even made the NCAA Tournament.

Mulkey made it clear during her introductory press conference that she plans to bring LSU to new heights. The Tigers last made the Final Four in 2008.

“I want you to see those banners behind you, right there … nowhere on there does it say ‘national champion,'” Mulkey said. “It doesn’t happen overnight. Let me remind you, rabid LSU fans, that can be crazy and want coaches fired tomorrow: Give it time.

“But I can assure you, that’s what I came here to do.”

It wasn’t an easy decision

Mulkey has spent 21 years molding Baylor into one of the premier women’s college basketball teams in the country. Despite reports that Mulkey’s relationships with Baylor president Linda Livingstone and athletic director Mike Rhoades were strained, Mulkey said Monday that the decision to leave was very difficult.

“My eyes are swollen from many a tear,” she said. “I have had so many sleepless nights. Because when your heart is invested in something so intensely and so passionately, it’s hard to let go.

“Yet when your heart also says it’s time to move on and accept your next challenge, and it’s at home … it just kept weighing on me. Something felt right here. I would not have left Baylor for any other school except LSU.”

Money played a role, but it wasn’t the deciding factor

At Baylor, Mulkey was reportedly making around $2.27 million per year in salary. That will increase at LSU, where it’s been reported that she’ll earn between $2.5 million and $2.8 million annually, making her one of the highest paid women’s college basketball coaches in the nation.

“How do you get a coach to leave an institution that has had so much success? I think that’s what everybody’s wondering,” Mulkey said. “And the first thing you’re gonna wonder is, ‘God, she got a boatload of money.’ My boat does not float because of money. I wanted resources that I could sell to young people. I wanted an institution that I could be proud of. I wanted resources to hire a staff to make me look good. Those things have happened.

“Yes, it did take some money to get me away from Baylor, but that wasn’t the deciding factor. Timing in everybody’s life is so important. If it doesn’t feel right at that time in your life, you don’t do it. It just felt right, the timing in my life.”

Regardless, the money certainly must have been enticing.

Mulkey is excited to be back home

Mulkey grew up in Louisiana and played college basketball at Louisiana Tech before starting her coaching career there as an assistant in 1985. She mentioned many times Monday how much it meant to her to be returning to her home state.

“I had many opportunities to leave,” Mulkey said. “This is the only one that could get me to leave. Thank you again for bringing me back home.”

Mulkey also talked about her shared Tangipahoa Parish roots with Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards, who was in attendance Monday.

“When you grow up, you don’t forget where you come from. … This state made us who we were. I appreciate you being here. I appreciate what you mean to the state of Louisiana,” Mulkey said. “It’s just so unbelievably comfortable for me to come back to my roots.”

She even brought up local food, talking about how much she missed Ponchatoula strawberries and crawfish.

“You think I’m being funny, but it’s the God’s truth: I miss my food from Louisiana,” Mulkey said. “I can now tell Boudreaux and Thibodaux jokes and people don’t look at me like I’ve lost my mind.”

Mulkey then ended the press conference by channeling football coach Ed Orgeron with a “Geaux Tigahs.”

Something tells me Kim Mulkey has been working on this Ed Orgeron "Geaux Tigers" impression for a while now. #LSU https://t.co/0qS24nikU5 pic.twitter.com/H3aSZ0e8fF

— Jeff Nowak (@Jeff_Nowak) April 26, 2021

The 2025 NWSL Championship claimed a major viewership milestone on Saturday, as Gotham FC's 1-0 title win over the Washington Spirit became the first-ever league match to record an average of more than one million viewers.

The CBS evening broadcast averaged an impressive 1.184 million fans and peaked at 1.55 million viewers, making it the most-watched NWSL match of all time.

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The 2025 final marked a 22% viewership increase over the 967,900 fans who watched 2024's Orlando Pride victory — the previous NWSL viewership record-holder — and a 45% ratings gain over Gotham's 2023 championship win, which averaged 816,800 viewers.

Saturday's gains both matched the 22% viewership increase the NWSL regular season saw this year and also far exceeded the 2025 postseason's pre-final year-over-year increase of 5%.

Calling the one-million viewer mark "an extraordinary achievement" in Tuesday's league statement, NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman also noted that the "record-setting audience demonstrates the deepening connection fans have with our players, our clubs, and the world-class competition on the field, and it underscores the growing demand for women's soccer on the biggest stages."

"We're incredibly proud of what this moment represents for the NWSL and for everyone who continues to invest in and believe in the future of our game," Berman added.

Incoming offseason league Project B scored more major WNBA signings this week, as the upstart venture continues stacking its roster ahead of a planned November 2026 launch.

Indiana Fever guards Kelsey Mitchell and Sophie Cunningham have both publicly signed on with Project B, joining already announced talent like Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike and Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas, New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones, and Las Vegas Aces guard Jewell Loyd.

Also inking deals to join the inaugural season of Project B are Chicago Sky center Kamilla Cardoso, Golden State Valkyries forward Janelle Salaün, and Li Meng, a former Washington Mystics guard and current player in the Women's Chinese Basketball Association.

The multi-continent, Formula One-style traveling tournament circuit will ultimately sign 66 international stars, as Project B looks to field six 11-player teams in its debut 2026/2027 campaign.

Project B player signings will undoubtedly impact other offseason leagues like Unrivaled and Athletes Unlimited, but the new venture is also looming large over the ongoing WNBA CBA talks.

With negotiations racing toward this Sunday's extended deadline, Project B is putting WNBA compensation offerings under increased pressure, as the new league is reportedly anteing up multimillion-dollar salaries to its signees — far exceeding the 2025 WNBA maximum as well as the $1.1 million-max currently on the negotiating table.

World No. 1 Spain will take aim at a second-straight UEFA Nations League title this week, as La Roja take on No. 5 Germany in the first leg of the 2025 tournament's final at 2:30 PM ET on Friday.

The defending Nations League champions booked their spot in the 2025 final by dismantling No. 3 Sweden 5-0 on aggregate in the semifinal round, while Germany advanced after a tense 3-2 aggregate win over No. 6 France.

Germany must also contend with availability issues during Friday's match, as 28-year-old Bayern Munich forward and senior national team leading scorer Lea Schüller will be out due to family reasons.

To overcome that disadvantage, German head coach Christian Wück is reinforcing the team's back line, adding Athletic Bilbao defender Bibi Schulze Solano to the roster on Wednesday.

Also aiming to shut down Spain's offensive firepower on Friday is new NWSL champion goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, who joined her German compatriots late following Gotham FC's title celebrations in New York this week.

While Spain and Germany will contend for the 2025 Nations League trophy this week, the pair — along with ousted semifinalists Sweden and France — have already booked spots in the top group of teams battling for tickets to the 2027 World Cup, with UEFA qualifying set to begin in 2026.

A full 19 months removed from their back-to-back Final Four runs, No. 11 Iowa basketball refuses to go away, with the Hawkeyes already notching one Top-25 win in the young 2025/26 NCAA campaign so far.

The still-unbeaten Hawkeyes took down No. 15 Baylor 57-52 last Thursday, with Iowa starting post players Hannah Stuelke and Ava Heiden combining for 28 points while guard Taylor Stremlow added another 12 off the bench in the marquee win.

"We have nice pieces," said Iowa head coach Jan Jensen this week. "But it's knowing when to play which pieces and with whom, and we're six games in."

The Hawkeyes have been finding their new identity under Jensen after a transformative period saw Iowa's longtime head coach Lisa Bluder retire while superstar guard Caitlin Clark joined the WNBA.

"Jan's been amazing," Stuelke told JWS at the Big Ten Media Day in October. "She stepped up like she needed to, and she's been growing every day since she's been the head coach, which it's really cool to see she cares. And it's a great environment for all of us."

"I have a year under my belt," Jensen echoed. "I know what this chair feels like now, and I have a little better of understanding of what that first road trip feels like, what that first big win feels like, or the tough loss feels like."

Iowa's season heats up with a ranked rivalry matchup against No. 10 Iowa State on Wednesday, December 10th.

The state rivals will tip off at 7 PM ET, with live coverage airing on ESPN.