 | | Coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson will stop by to answer questions from fans on Thursday. |
Chat With Women's Hoops Coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson
Head coach joined us for an online chat on Nov. 6. Welcome to BaylorBears.com and OCSN.com's online chat, where Baylor women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson joined us on Thursday, Nov. 6. Since Baylor named Women?s Basketball Hall of Famer Kim Mulkey-Robertson as Baylor?s fourth Lady Bear head coach on April 4, 2000, the former All-American and Olympic gold medalist has brought repeated national prominence to Baylor and the program. After just three seasons as a head coach, Mulkey-Robertson has taken the Lady Bears to three postseason competitions, including back-to-back NCAA Tournaments and hosting the WNIT finals, a national ranking of No. 7 and a second place finish in the toughest women?s basketball conference in the nation. Mulkey-Robertson continued to add to her impressive list of achievements. Numerous honors were bestowed upon her after her inaugural season. She was named one of the Top 50 Female High School Athletes of the 20th Century, National Coach of the Year by Real Sport magazine and Big 12 Coach of the Year by the Dallas Morning-News and Waco Tribune-Herald. In a most recent honor, Mulkey-Robertson was inducted into the Verizon Academic All-America Hall of Fame. As a player, Mulkey-Robertson led the Lady Techsters to a 130-6 record, two national titles and four Final Fours from 1980-84. During that time the 5-foot-4 playmaker, known for her spectacular passes and French braids, also led Louisiana Tech to its first two national championships (1981 and 1982) and was a part of the USA?s gold medal-winning team at the 1984 Olympics and the 1983 Pan American Games. Mulkey-Robertson averaged 6.38 assists and 1.56 steals per game and ranks second on Tech?s all-time list in assists and 12th in steals. In addition, the summa cum laude scholar was a two-time Academic All-American. |
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| Kenneth Smith,LongBeach: 1. What goals have set for this year's team? 2. How will the negative publicity of the men's program affect the womens program and how will the university safeguard the womens program? |
 |  | Kim Mulkey-Robertson: Hey Ken! Our main goal, as it is every year, is to make the NCAA Tournament. The negative publicity from the men's problems this summer affected all of us who work at Baylor, but we must move on. Behave yourself, and have a great day! |
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| Glyndle Feagin, Plainview, Tx: Coach, I have heard the problems of the summer are being used against us on the recruiting trail. Do you have hopes of signing anyone in the early signing period? What else can you tell us about recruiting? |
| | Kim Mulkey-Robertson: Yes, we do plan on signing players in November. Because of NCAA rules, that is about all that I can tell you. We hope to sign three perimeter players in November. Hang in there with all of us Baylor folks, and we will persevere through all the negative. |
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| Scott Davidsen (Waco): It was great visiting with you after Moonlight Madness. I look forward to another successful season of Lady Bears basketball. See you at the Ferrell Center, Coach! |
| | Kim Mulkey-Robertson: Scott - thanks for coming to Moonlight Madness, and thanks for being a Lady Bears fan. |
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| Michael (Midwest City): Hello Kim. I am looking forward to the season. Can you comment on our schedule. It looks strong, but I believe it is needed to prepare us for the Big XII. Sic'em. |
| | Kim Mulkey-Robertson: As we continue to build this program, our non-conference schedule will continue to get better. Because we are still in the early stages of building a program, we have to be careful with our non-conference schedule, because the Big 12 schedule is brutal. |
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| BILL (N'AWLINS): BEST WISHES FOR ANOTHER OUTSTANDING SEASON. WILL YOUR INJURED PLAYERS BE READY FOR CONFERENCE? HOW MANY PLAYERS DO YOU PLAN TO SIGN THIS FALL? LA. HAS OUTSTANDING PLAYERS, STILL LOOKING FOR MORE? I KNOW THERE'S ANOTHER KIM HERE...... |
| | Kim Mulkey-Robertson: Bill - you are truly a Louisiana guy when you write "N'Awlins." I miss that accent. Injuries are day-to-day, and we'll keep our fingers crossed, because these are really valuable players to us. We hope to sign three recruits this month. Yes, I agree with you; Louisiana produces outstanding players. I hope we can continue to steal one out of there every now and then. |
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| David (Dallas): Coach - congrats on having a couple of preseason all-Americans! What can you tell us about Sophia Young and Steffanie Blackmon? |
| | Kim Mulkey-Robertson: We are very proud of Sophia and Steffanie. I am very blessed to be their coach. Sophia was a surprise, not only to us as coaches but to the entire league. She will continue to get better and better as she learns and plays the game. Remember, she has only been playing about five years. Steffanie is rehabbing her injury from the World University Games this summer. In fact, today will be her first day to practice with the team. Of course, she will be limited, because of the rehabilitation that she is still going through. The return of Steffanie will make all of our players better, because she demands so much attention from the opponents. |
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| Willie (San Angelo, TX): What are Sheila Lambert and Danielle Crockrom up to these days? Are they still playing pro? |
| | Kim Mulkey-Robertson: Sheila Lambert won a WNBA title this summer with the Detroit Shock, and is now enrolled this fall semester at Baylor. I see her everyday as she comes to our offices inbetween classes. Second semester, she plans to go overseas and play some pro ball. She is scheduled to graduate at the end of the fall semester next year. Danielle Crockrom is working in Waco for the city. I see her regularly as well. She and I stay in contact. |
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| John Carter (Waco): Coach - what is your take on the WNBA? Specifically, can it stand on its own financially, or might it be in trouble? Just curious, after having seen the women's pro soccer league fold this year. |
| | Kim Mulkey-Robertson: I sometimes have the same question you do about the WNBA. I don't know enough about the situation to give an educated answer. Van Chancellor is speaking at the Chamber of Commerce Tip-Off Luncheon here on Nov. 19. I will probably ask him the same question that you're asking me. I'm just as curious as you are. |
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| Anne Englande (Houston, TX): What are your expectations for this year, as far as Big 12 finish and postseason play? |
| | Kim Mulkey-Robertson: This league is too good to make predictions where one thinks they may finish. We certainly expect to be competitive, as we have been the last three years, and we want to go to postseason play. If you look at the league, all of the teams return their top players. That is a scary thought. |
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| Jenny S.: How does the Big 12 compare to other conferences in women'sbasketball? |
| | Kim Mulkey-Robertson: You must understand, I can only speak for our league. This league continues to have numerous teams make the postseason. There are other leagues that do the same. One of the good things about our league that is a great selling point is the fan support. Top to bottom, people show up and watch Big 12 women's basketball. |
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| Linsey Stuphold - Waco: Coach - how are you getting along with the new AD? |
| | Kim Mulkey-Robertson: Ian McCaw has been very supportive of our program thus far. He's only been on the job a short time, and I hope to get to know him better each day. |
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| Terry Hubbs (Austin): Kim, It's GREAT to have you at Baylor. You have done a terrific job, and I hope you will be with Baylor forever. What does this year's team look like, and do they have the potential to go far this year in the NCAA tournament? |
| | Kim Mulkey-Robertson: Terry - it's great to be at Baylor. Baylor has treated me and my family very well. I am excited about the season, with the exception of the injuries, and we will work as hard as we possibly can to make it to the NCAA Tournament. |
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| Randall Williams, Houston TX.: What role will Emily Niemann play this year? How is she progressing? |
| | Kim Mulkey-Robertson: Emily Niemann is doing quite well. She will play the 3/4 positions for us, because she is an outstanding perimeter shooter. Adjusting to the college game hasn't affected her thus far in practices. She brings a dimension to our team that we really needed - a big girl who can shoot the 3. |
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| | Kim Mulkey-Robertson: Gotta go to a staff meeting... Thanks for caring about the program. Hang in there with us as we continue to build a tradition here. |
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