'Common Dominator': How LSU's Mikaylah Williams put together 'phenomenal' freshman season

ALBANY, N.Y. — Mikaylah Williams was the common denominator.

When Kim Mulkey tips off preseason practice with LSU women's basketball, the four-time national championship-winning coach launches her team into it. Three straight weeks of practices five days of weeks, all rigorous two-plus hour long practices. And on the sixth day, Saturdays, Mulkey holds full-fledge scrimmages, four quarters with officials.

After each quarter, the lineup switches up. Mulkey wants to get a look at various player combinations and get a feel for how each player approaches different roles and scenarios that can be out of their control.

One player this preseason, in 12 different lineups, never lost a quarter. And that was the freshman, Williams.

"She was the common denominator," LSU assistant coach Bob Starkey said. "That said something special to us because the kid also knows how to win. She would find a way to either win or tie. It means something."

Maybe "Common Dominator" is a better label for Williams as she geared up to embark on her freshman campaign.

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Flau'jae Johnson was just a few months removed from earning SEC Player of the Year honors herself.

The sophomore sensation came into LSU highly touted, like Williams, and had recent first-hand experience of the road that Williams was about to navigate.

"I think Flau'jae has been one of the biggest impacts I've had since I've come," Williams said. "When I got here, she took me under her wing and taught me the ropes and everything. I'm just learning from her experiences, understanding where my feet are and living in the moment."

Williams said the biggest adjustment for her was the pace of the game and conditioning. And it's something she continues to work on. But her teammates and coaches have taken note of the work and continued improvement as Williams has quickly become a vital piece to LSU's run at another championship.

"When she came in, I know just coming off my freshman year, I just wanted to prepare her as much as I could," Johnson said. "But I'm just proud of her that she's just learning how to keep her poise and composure. I talk to her a lot about that, just going into sometimes coaching isn't going to be what you want it to be in the moment. You aren't going to be hitting shots. You've got to learn to affect the game in a lot of ways.

"I think she's becoming a well-rounded player every time she steps on the floor."

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Williams admitted her transition to high-level Division I basketball from high school wasn't as easy she made it look. She did score 42 points in her fourth career game, the most points an LSU freshman has scored in the NCAA era.

"Mikaylah to me is one of the best mid-range shooters that I've ever coached," Mulkey said. "And she can shoot the three ball. She can take you hard and be strong off the dribble."

All season, LSU star forward Angel Reese has found herself in awe of Williams and how she's handled the spotlight. She came in as the No. 2 overall recruit in the Class of 2023, joining a high-profile program fresh off winning a national championship with expectations of winning another.

"I know I wasn't as confident like that as a freshman," said Reese, who had a solid freshman year at Maryland four seasons ago. "Being able to have somebody on the team that is willing to do whatever it takes to win. I mean, when her shots aren't going in, she's affecting the game differently. That's a difference from the beginning of the season until now.

"Her maturity level, being able to understand you can't have a great game every game, we'd love to have that, but defensively she's also taken that in and taken accountability when she's not focused on her matchup or she's not defending the way she wants to defend or making shots. So I think that's the maturity level of going into the tournament, like I think she's done a great job with that."

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The biggest thing Williams had to learn early on was the emphasis Mulkey puts on defense and her players' onus to deliver on that end of the floor.

Starkey mentioned the mentality the freshman has had all season, showing up with a smile on her face and energy for every practice. And her keen desire to learn.

While she may have felt pressure to come in and contribute being the highest-rated prospect that Mulkey has signed in her three recruiting cycles as coach in Baton Rouge, her coaches didn't notice.

"She just wanted to come in and be the best player she could be," Starkey said.

Williams credits the support systems she has, from her family to Johnson to LSU assistant coach Gary Redus, who recruited her dating back to his days on the Vanderbilt staff before joining Mulkey in Baton Rouge. Through that, Williams has blossomed into a better, well-rounded player, as Johnson put it. And that biggest improvement has been defensively.

Entering the Sweet 16 for the Tigers (30-5), which match up with UCLA (27-6) inside the MVP Arena in Albany, New York, on Saturday (12 p.m., ABC), Williams is fourth on the team in steals and averaged more than five rebounds in her last five games.

"I wouldn't say it was as easy as I've made it look. I have a really great support system," Williams said. "All of my teammates and my family and coaches that I've leaned on when those times did get hard. I am a freshman in college playing D-I basketball, it's not going to be easy.

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"To play for coach Mulkey, you have to be able to defend. So I think that's come a long way and I still have a very long way to go as well."

Mikaylah Williams has had 'phenomenal freshman year.' Why her future is 'scary' to think about

While she came in modest, Williams always aimed to earn SEC Freshman of the Year honors. By averaging 14.5 points per game with 4.8 rebounds and three assists and a starter from Day 1, she accomplished one of her biggest individual goals.

She worked for it. To her, it was always about the work.

"But the journey's not over yet," Williams said.

To her coaches, Williams will factor into LSU's success the rest of the way through the NCAA Tournament. And it'll be her work ethic that not only sets her up in that role this postseason but in the years to come as she'll assume ownership of the team.

She put up 15 points per game in her first two March Madness games. The ability to score may be what she's known for now but where she's heading, LSU coaches believe Williams will make her name for more than that.

"She's had a phenomenal freshman year. People are going to gravitate toward her ability to shoot and score, which is phenomenal as a freshman, but there were some SEC games this season where she led us in assists," Starkey said. "She has a really good chance to be a really good rebounder because of her size and anticipation and her defense is getting better. That's what being a player is all about, but she's a really well-rounded player at a very high level and a very young age.

"It's scary to think how good she's going to be because I know she'll put the work forth to improve."

Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: How LSU's Mikaylah Williams put together 'phenomenal' freshman season