Sports

Kim Mulkey’s Successor At Baylor, Nicki Collen, Torches Washington Post For Tearing Down Her Program

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Baylor women’s basketball coach Nicki Collen did not appreciate how her program was portrayed in the Washington Post’s article about Kim Mulkey. She made that abundantly clear after a four-point loss to USC in the Sweet 16.

It was an entirely unprompted rant!

Collen, 48, was hired as Mulkey’s replacement in Waco on May 3, 2021. The Bears have won 28 games in her first season, 20 games in year two, and 26 games in year three. They reached the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament in each of the first two years and played their way one round further this season.

Baylor fell four points short of advancing to the Elite Eight on Saturday. Superstar freshman JuJu Watkins dropped 30 for the Trojans and led her team back from a four-point deficit during the fourth quarter. Her greatness ultimately proved to be the difference.

Even though the Bears could not respond in the end, they hung close with a No. 1 seed.

That was the basis to Collen’s verbal undressing of the Washington Post. Although she did not read the article, which was ultimately much ado about nothing, she was made aware that the reporter said that Mulkey’s transition to LSU left Baylor to “wither.”

Collen was “really offended” by that language and expressed her frustration with a passionate defense of her program. She pointed to the “stuff blooming in Waco.” It would be her pleasure to welcome the reporter to town to see for himself.

Nicki Collen firmly believes that her team is “first tier.” She has a point.

Baylor isn’t withering without Kim Mulkey.

The Bears took one of the four best teams down to the wire. It’s hard to argue that they have not been a consistently successful team since Mulkey’s departure. They might not be winning national championships, yet, but the word “wither” is the focus here. Nothing has withered!