Kim Mulkey isn’t the only one taking issue with Kent Babb’s story about her, though for another coach it was for a bit of a different reason.
While Mulkey had gone on the offensive over what she tried to frame as a “hit piece,” Baylor coach Nicki Collen took issue with a specific line in the story and how it portrayed her program after Mulkey departed ahead of the 2021-22 season to take over at LSU.
In the Washington Post article, Babb described Baylor as “no longer among the sport’s upper tier, another structure abandoned and left to wither” following Mulkey’s leaving.
Following Saturday’s loss in the Sweet 16 to USC, Collen expressed her dismay over the line, while admitting she hadn’t actually read the story.
“I’m not afraid to say I was really offended by the article that came out,” she told reporters at her postgame press conference. “Don’t know what happened, didn’t read the article, but nothing is withering in Waco and we’re going to do it our way. And it’s going to be just as good, but nothing is withering.
“And we are not not a first-tier team and you can’t say we are. You can’t get to the Sweet 16 and take a No. 1 seed down to the wire in a one-possession game and say anything is withering in Waco. … There’s a lot blooming. I’m gonna say not withering; there’s some stuff blooming in Waco. If he wants to come do an article and come to Waco and write about it next year, he’s welcome.”
Baylor has continued to compete at a high level since Mulkey left and Collen has coached the program to a 74-28 record in her three years at the helm.
And Baylor — including this season — has made and won at least a game in the NCAA Tournament every season during Collen’s tenure.