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BREAKING: Seimone Augustus will join LSU’s staff

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COLLEGE BASKETBALL: JAN 15 Women’s Auburn at LSU
Former professional basketball player Seimone Augustus receives a miniature replica statue during a time out during the first half at the game between the LSU Lady Tigers and the Auburn Tigers on January 15, 2023 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, LA. | Photo by Stephen Lew/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The hall-of-famer will return to her hometown to be an assistamt coach at her alma mater

LSU head coach Kim Mulkey announced legendary LSU women’s basketball player Seimone Augustus has joined the staff as an assistant coach.

“It is an exciting day for the LSU Women’s Basketball program to bring Seimone Augustus back to join our staff,” Mulkey said. “As a player at LSU, Seimone helped transform the program as the best player in the nation. She brought LSU to national prominence. She will be a tremendous member on our staff as someone with great experience who has excelled at every level of the game from high school in Baton Rouge to college to the WNBA to the Olympics. Her expertise in the game will benefit our team and allow our players the opportunity to learn from a Hall of Famer who has exhibited great class throughout her entire career.

Augustus, who was then the No. 1 player in the country, was considered “the single most important recruit in the history of LSU Athletics” by former LSU athletic director and baseball coach Skip Bertman on April 30, 2002.

Bertman proved to be correct as Augustus became one of the greatest athlete in LSU history, helping transform the LSU Women’s Basketball program to a national power during her playing days from 2002-2006. Augustus led the Tigers to their first three Final Four appearances (2004, 2005, 2006) before going on to star in the WNBA and on the world stage.

The Baton Rouge native was the first former female student-athlete at LSU to receive a statue in her honor in 2023, was recently inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and is set to be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in the next six months.

After finishing her WNBA career in Los Angeles, Augustus was an assistant coach for one season with the Sparks. Augustus joins the LSU staff to fill the vacancy left after one of Mulkey’s longtime confidants, Johnny Derrick, announced his retirement after last season retirement.

“Life always guides you to where you belong,” Augustus said. “Thus, my path has led me home. Gracing me with an opportunity to further my coaching career within a program that I hold dearly. They say experience is the greatest teacher, I am truly excited about the knowledge and wisdom I will gain working alongside of legendary Coach Mulkey and reconnecting with my former coach, Coach Bob Starkey. A Fighting Tiger once more, I look forward to pouring into this generation of Lady Tigers. Once A Tiger, Always A Tiger. A new chapter begins. See you at the PMAC.”