This NCAA offseason feels less like recruiting and more like a high-stakes game of basketball poker. Coaches are bluffing, calling, and straight-up stealing chips from each other’s stacks. Five days ago, Kim Caldwell pulled a fast one on Kim Mulkey, swiping McDonald’s All-American Jersey Wolfenbarger from right under her nose. But just when it looked like Mulkey had been dealt a bad hand, a wild card arrived—5 feet 10 inches tall and stamped with a South Carolina postmark. The paint still has a Morrow-sized hole, sure—but offensively? LSU might’ve just drawn an ace.

Earlier this month, MiLaysia Fulwiley made headlines by entering the transfer portal following South Carolina’s loss to UConn in the national championship game. Despite brief links to Ole Miss, the No. 13-ranked high school recruit from the class of 2023 ultimately chose LSU, seeking a fresh start and the opportunity to start — a luxury she lacked at South Carolina.

In a recent episode of The Women’s Hoop Show, host Jordan Robinson and co-host Autumn Johnson highlighted this very new fact about the strength of LSU’s new backcourt: “This backcourt we’re about to see is dangerous. Like, Flau’jae Johnson, you’ve got MiLaysia Fulwiley coming in with Mikaylah Williams. I don’t know who’s stopping that big three.”

Johnson doubled down with more praise for the Tigers’ revamped roster: “You lose a big piece like Aneesah Morrow, and you get one of the top guards in the nation. That is Showtime basketball in full display. I can’t wait for this season to come.” And she’s not wrong. Fulwiley might not be a 6-foot-1 rebound machine like Morrow, but she brings a different kind of electricity. In two seasons at South Carolina, she played 77 games — starting only three — but still averaged 11.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.6 steals per game in just 18.7 minutes of action. She shot an efficient 43.2% from the field, 30.2% from three, and 77.8% from the line — numbers that are expected to rise with a bigger role in Baton Rouge.

However, with that comes another concern. How will LSU’s new guard-heavy approach fare in the long run? As one analyst on Locked on Women’s Basketball said, “It’s going to be fun. It’s not going to be synergistic,” suggesting at how hooperpilled the LSU roster has become. Considering how the team has lost all five forwards and centers to either graduation or transfers, they might struggle against teams with strong post players. The half-court offense might be particularly exploited, adding to how there would be no driving lanes.

So, LSU’s success this next season will be defined by how quickly these new additions adapt and slip into proper roles. And it seems like Mulkey has been rolling it over in the back of her mind.

Kim Mulkey’s Strategic Offseason Moves for LSU

When Mulkey pulled in Fulwiley, she called her “the most electrifying guard”. However, she has not shied away from making her demands clear either. “For every player we lose, you hate it, but you bring somebody in. And my philosophy on that is to bring in players that can help you continue to be relevant in women’s basketball.” And relevant, she plans to stay.

So, to address the above-mentioned gaps, she brought in Notre Dame’s Kate Koval and East Carolina’s Amiya Joyner. However, her struggles don’t end with that one decision. If she wants to create an offense that offsets the disadvantages her weak frontcourt will pose, all these guards would need to maximize their output. She would want them to keep moving, to keep passing to the elbow, and to keep coming off the screen at the other one. This is a risky strategy, but we do have reason to believe in Mulkey, as she is far from done.

Her latest target? The No. 1 transfer on the market: Serah Williams. The 6-foot-4 All-Big Ten forward from Wisconsin averaged 19.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks last season, and recently made a multi-day visit to Baton Rouge. LSU rolled out the red carpet—complete with a photoshoot, one-on-one time with the coaching staff, and a full-court press that included star guard Flau’jae Johnson cutting her nationwide tour short to help host Williams.

Johnson, Mikaylah Williams, and the coaching staff dined with Williams, signaling how high she ranks on LSU’s priority list. With UConn also in the mix—Williams visited the defending national champions earlier—this recruitment has shaped into a classic LSU vs. UConn showdown.

Though Williams is taking her time with the decision, the Tigers are doing everything to tip the scale in their favor.