How did Kim Mulkey change LSU women’s basketball? One player knows better than most.

Her first two seasons, Ward played in a combined six games. LSU would’ve made the NCAA tournament with 21 wins her freshman year, but the coronavirus pandemic arrived. The next season, she and her teammates were tested every other day for COVID-19.

Barely anyone could come to games. LSU won only nine anyway.

As the Tigers looked for a new coach, rumors circulated about Mulkey — a three-time national champion at Baylor — leaving the place where she had built a dynasty. Ward called her mom, who had been recruited by Mulkey at Louisiana Tech and went to Baylor instead.

“If coach Mulkey gets the job,” Mary said, “you better buckle up because it’s going to be a crazy ride.”

Early on, Ward worried about her spot on the team with a new coaching staff. Her parents reminded her that as a walk-on, LSU wasn’t spending money on her scholarship. That offered reassurance. Then Mulkey got hired, and when she introduced herself to the team, she told Ward she knew her mom. Mulkey kept her through the roster turnover.

“Coming from that pedigree of her mom,” Mulkey said, “I knew what Emily was going to be about.”

Ward immediately noticed shifts within the program. She never criticized Fargas, making sure to thank her, but the operation changed. The team’s warmups before strength and conditioning became more strict. Mulkey gave every player a binder filled with clear expectations and goals. Preseason practices generally lasted four strenuous hours, and even two-hour days meant nonstop drills.

Results followed, as did fan support. Ward appeared in only seven games during Mulkey’s first season, so she spent most of her time observing from the bench. The crowds and the noise told her how much excitement was building around the program. She had never seen lines outside the arena before.

This season, Ward received a scholarship and was voted a team captain. She appeared in 25 games, more involved than ever before. The student section chanted her name and gave her a standing ovation on senior night. She got to think about which piece of the net she should cut and has snapped mental pictures along the way.