Bob Starkey is a courtside catalyst for the LSU women’s basketball team’s game-winning chemistry

LSU women’s basketball is steeped in flash and sass, fortified by high-profile personalities like senior guard Flau’jae Johnson and colorful head coach Kim Mulkey. But another key component in the Tigers’ success stems from its understated, highly respected associate head coach Bob Starkey, a savvy tactician with 40 years of experience who is widely seen as one of the game’s great assistants.

Mulkey recruited Starkey to join her staff in 2022, but it wasn’t his first rodeo at LSU. The West Virginia native had coached for the Tigers between 1989 and 2011. Beginning with the men’s team under head coach Dale Brown, then migrating to the women’s team, Starkey counts LSU greats Shaquille O’Neal, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Stanley Roberts, Seimone Augustus, Sylvia Fowles and Temeka Johnson among his past players.

Augustus, who joined the Lady Tigers’ coaching staff in 2024, says Starkey made a big impact on her as a player and continues to do so as a peer.

“Coach Starkey was someone who saw the best in you and was determined to figure out a way to get the best out of you,” Augustus says. “As a colleague, I still see and receive some of the same encouragement. I find myself picking his brain, and I get a chance to observe his techniques and the way he guides players. I’m beyond grateful to be able to continue to witness his greatness.”

We checked in with Starkey about this year’s team and why he’s never been interested in the top job.

225: You were the assistant head coach at Auburn in 2022 when Coach Mulkey called and asked you to return to LSU. Was it an easy sell?

Starkey: It wasn’t an easy sell, because I’d only been at Auburn for a year, and I’d given my commitment, so that made it difficult for me. But the opportunity to come home to LSU and to work for Kim and learn how she does things was certainly enough to get me to come back. The other part was that Baton Rouge felt like home. When we lived here before, my wife had battled multiple sclerosis and breast cancer, and we have an amazingly tight circle of friends.

225: How would you describe this year’s team?

Starkey: What’s been really unique is the chemistry. That’s become a rarity in the day of the [transfer] portal, when you’ve literally got a new team every year. Coaches sit around in the offseason and think, ‘How are we going to get these kids to blend and mesh?’ We literally didn’t have to do anything. They’ve done it themselves. They’ll jump in their cars and drive to the mall, or one of them will cook dinner and the others will show up. It’s been something special to see. The other part is they’ve been incredibly teachable. When you get a team that’s close-knit and that wants to be taught, you’ve got a chance to be pretty good.

225: How do you think that happened?

Starkey: I think it’s three things: First, they’re just good people. Second, we have really good leadership, especially from Mikaylah Williams and Flau’jae Johnson. And the third part is our staff. We have a very, very close-knit staff.

225: How have you dealt with all the culture changes in college sports, like the portal, NIL and revenue sharing?

Starkey: It’s such an interesting question. It’s important to know what you want to hang on to, but you also have to be versatile and flexible. When you see coaches succeed at this level, it’s because they not only accept change, but they get excited about it, and they figure out a way to maximize it.

225: You’re known as a systems guy. Can you talk about how you develop a strategy before each game?

Starkey: I like analytics, so I’m going to delve into the numbers as much as possible. They point me in the right direction, like a GPS. And from there, I’ll go to film. I watch a lot of film. I’m blessed that I enjoy dissecting another opponent, and I take pride in making sure that when I give a scouting report to Coach Mulkey, it’s detailed but straightforward.

225: From the very beginning of your career, you’ve been focused on being an assistant. In fact, you’re known for saying you’ve never been interested in the top job. Why is that?

Starkey: It’s what I was meant to do. I tell people there’s a great line in an old Clint Eastwood movie that says, “A man’s got to know his limitations.” I don’t think I would be a good head coach, and trying to be one wouldn’t be fair to a team or a staff or a school. I’ve had an opportunity to work for a lot of good head coaches and coach a lot of good players. I’ve had a couple of phone calls, and it’s literally taken me five seconds to say thank you but no thank you.

225: When you look back on your career, what stands out?

Starkey: I just know that I’ve been truly blessed to be on this journey for this long. I mean, it’s a long time to be in this business, and when you look at my resume, I’ve worked for some amazing head coaches. I think there’s like five or six Hall of Famers, and I’ve coached some really good players. I just don’t know anybody who’s done this that’s been more fortunate than I have, and I feel good about my body of work. I feel like I’ve been able to make players better and I’ve been able to make kids better.