LSU Tigers and Kim Mulkey’s offseason woes got a bit deeper with their freshman Bella Hines’ latest career move. The program was already navigating the loss of several of its key coaching staff members, and now, amid this offseason, they are seeing the departure of their four-star recruit, Hines, a player cited as the successor to Angel Reese in Baton Rouge.

Basketball insider and On3 reporter Talia Goodman recently confirmed via an X post that Hines is moving on from Kim Mulkey’s LSU Tigers after her solitary season at Baton Rouge and has decided to enter the transfer portal. “NEWS: LSU freshman Bella Hines plans to enter the transfer portal, her agent @daveed_cohen of @YMAPAASports told @On3,” the post read.

Ranked 32nd in the nation, Hines was one of the top recruits for LSU ahead of the 2025-26 season. In an Instagram post, the freshman guard herself addressed this decision to enter the transfer portal, while expressing her gratitude to her teammates and coaches.

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“Thank you to coach Mulkey and the entire coaching staff for believing in me and helping me grow every day,” Hines shared on her Instagram. “To my teammates, thank you for the memories, the battles and the sisterhood I’ll always cherish. Baton Rouge, thank you for embracing me and making this journey feel like home. And to the LSU fans, your love and support meant everything for me.”

Hines was quite formidable in her first collegiate year despite the limited minutes she got in the rotation. She logged around 13 minutes per game in the season, while mostly coming off the bench. She averaged north of 4 points and 2 rebounds, while shooting over 44% from the field, quite impressive for a freshman off the bench.

Through her performances, Hines also won the heart of a hard-edged, demanding coach like Mulkey. It was after the star-studded Valentine’s Day matchup between the Tigers and South Carolina. Hines played just 6 minutes in the game but scored 6 points and grabbed a rebound, including a 3-4 scoring spree from the field while also guarding their best player on the court- Tessa Johnson. Following Hines’ performance, Mulkey had hinted at more game time for Hines in the future.

“I saw a kid that I need to play more,” Mulkey had suggested. “She needs to take away some of the minutes of some of them because she got out there and guarded Tessa. She wasn’t afraid.”

But as reality set in, such a decision won’t be taking shape anymore after Hines’ decision to enter the transfer portal. Notably, Hines isn’t the only LSU player to choose the transfer portal option ahead of the 2026 season. Freshman Divine Bourrage and senior Kailyn Gilbert will also be moving on from Kim Mulkey’s team after the 2025 season, where they went 29-6 overall in the season and also faced the program’s worst March Madness finish since the 2021-22 season.

With consistent struggles against big teams in the season, it was quite certain the squads needs to be revamped. But with the departure of all the players, the transfer portal has formed a major void in the LSU Tigers.

How Does Bella Hines’ Decision Fill In the LSU Tigers’ and Kim Mulkey’s Scheme of Things?

“I’ve had my individual meeting. They’re all coming back except for Divine (Bourrage),” were LSU head coach Kim Mulkey’s words when asked of the transfer portal’s effect on her roster. While the faith was prevalent for Mulkey, this statement is the first thing to go out of the window in this first phase of the offseason.

Hines’ departure doesn’t just come as another freshman player hitting the transfer portal, but rather as Mulkey losing a possible starter next season for the Tigers. Furthermore, it’s not just Hines’ impact that matters, as the timing does as well. Mulkey’s LSU is set to lose its franchise star, Flau’jae Johnson, after the conclusion of her collegiate eligibility.

This specific departure has left a huge dent in the Tigers’ roster. Furthermore, another of their regular starters, Amiya Joyner, will also be leaving the program for her next stride in basketball. As a result, Mulkey just won’t have the challenge of re-adjusting her locker room, but also of doing the same with her starting five.

And losing a top four-star recruit in Hines in this period is an absolute disaster for the LSU Tigers. Even though they have players like Milaysia Fulwiley,  Mikaylah Williams, and their latest commitment, the No. 1-ranked center in the nation, Caroline Bradley.

Meanwhile, the transfer portal for women’s collegiate basketball programs opened on April 6 (Monday) and will remain open through April 20. Thus, it’s just a few weeks to see which program lands a top basketball player like Bella Hines. And given her expertise, it won’t be surprising if Hines lands in a top SEC program in the coming days.

What are your predictions for Hines’ next college basketball program? Do let us know in the comments.