Fambrough: Is LHSAA girls basketball and LSU/Mulkey effect a real thing? I say yes

Those Kim Mulkey bobbleheads given to fans at Sunday’s regular-season finale are a small symbol of a legacy being built.

Mulkey jokingly told the media they made her look like Bon Jovi.

Mulkey and her LSU women’s basketball program are more influential in Louisiana than Jon Bon Jovi or just about anyone else these days.

That fact was evident throughout the LHSAA girls state basketball tournament. The six-day tournament concluded Saturday with Mulkey and some of her LSU players in attendance, including former Parkway High star Mikaylah Williams.

The meteoric rise of the Lady Tigers already has yielded a national title and a ton of exposure. Here is the unexpected byproduct — it is elevating girls high school basketball, especially in Baton Rouge.

How can I say that? Because 12 Baton Rouge area teams advanced to the LHSAA tourney in Hammond.

Southern Lab and Parkview Baptist won state titles on Friday. University High, Woodlawn, Madison Prep and Denham Springs were all runners-up.

I will concede those numbers are skewed a bit because the LHSAA’s select/nonselect format now brings 40 teams to the semifinals instead of 28.

The only year in recent memory that can top this one is 2006, when Baton Rouge area schools won four out of seven possible titles.

Label this an overnight success story if you must. However, I saw the seeds for success planted more than a year ago, even before LSU won an NCAA title.

A Thursday night game between the two local teams who played each other for the Division III select title Friday night, Parkview Baptist and U-High, is my proof. It was a notable District 6-3A game, and I was there. Parkview won.

The level of play was what you see in late January, a bit uneven. Two players, one for each team, attempted to emulate that Angel Reese euro-step move to the basket. Neither was successful, much to the chagrin of their coaches.

For me, those moments were stunning. Some say imitation is the greatest form of flattery. I believe it was an early sign of a growth spurt for girls basketball.

I had not seen something like that in an actual game in years. It was obvious these girls were going to camps and LSU games. They liked what they saw and wanted to do the same things.

This season began with promise. Southern Lab won the EBR tourney title over Liberty. Woodlawn and Madison Prep were the tournament’s other top teams. No one knew that a little more than two months later all those teams would be in Hammond, vying for LHSAA titles, along with eight others.

As the games unfolded in Hammond the influence of Mulkey and LSU was everywhere. Mulkey attended lots of games and was everyone’s favorite photo opp. U-High coach Bonita Johnson, a former LSU player, posted a photo on social media of her grandchildren’s photo with Mulkey taken during the final minutes of the Cubs semifinal win.

Plenty of coaches upped their game too. Sparkles were worn and I was told that after one game feathers were swept off the court. Another former LSU player, Quianna Chaney, upped her game with stylish blazers, which prompted me to ask, “Coach, who styled you today.” No word on whether Chaney tapped into Mulkey’s closet or clothiers.

Back to the games. No, they were not perfect. There was more parity and the level of play looked better overall.

These teams were living the dream — with an assist from Kim Mulkey and her LSU team.