At the end of the season, Kim Mulkey was confident she could retain most of the players from her 2025-26 roster. Despite the Sweet 16 loss against the Duke Blue Devils, Mulkey was looking forward to rebuilding with the same core.
Earlier this month, she said only Divine Bourrage would leave the team via the transfer portal. Days later, Bella Hines committed to entering the transfer portal.
Although the Tigers are still largely unaffected, losing Hines is a big blow to their rebuilding plans for the next season. However, Kim Mulkey’s team might be able to lock in a potential replacement for Hines in the next few days.
As per Jacques Doucet, Florida Gators guard Laila Reynolds will visit the LSU Tigers today. Reynolds will enter her senior year. Last season, she averaged 12.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.
She shot over 42% from the field, but Reynolds needs to improve her three-point and free-throw shooting, as she averaged just 13.5% and 68.6%, respectively. Reynolds has shown growth over three seasons, going from 7 points per game to 12.1.
As far as stats are concerned, she could be a great replacement for Hines, who averaged 4.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. It’s worth noting that Hines played just 13 minutes per game, whereas Reynolds averaged over 32 minutes throughout the season.
What made Hines’ transfer portal decision even more unexpected was that she told Mulkey during a live session that she wasn’t going to leave LSU. She thanked Mulkey, the LSU staff, and her teammates in her announcement post.
Kim Mulkey on Retaining the LSU Core
During a conversation with WAFB-TV’s Jacques Doucet earlier this month, Mulkey said that MiLaysia Fulwiley, Mikaylah Williams, Jada Richard, Kate Koval, Grace Knox, ZaKiyah Johnson, Bella Hines, and Meghan Yarnevich were expected to return.
“You cannot understand the value of having all of them come back,” she said. “That’s how you build it. That’s how you get over that hump of an Elite Eight. When you look at those that are coming back, freshman, freshman, sophomore, junior, sophomore, and look how much they did this year.”
Mulkey said that she was “blessed” to have the trust of all the players. Even though Hines ended up entering the portal, Mulkey still has a great team. With the possible addition of Reynolds and a few more players, the LSU Tigers will have a strong roster ready for next season.
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