LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey will not ask Angel Reese or Hailey Van Lith to stay in college another year.

Her approach differs from how Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said she’ll handle Caitlin Clark’s choice between returning to the Hawkeyes and declaring for the WNBA Draft.

Mulkey told reporters that she’s gone entirely hands-off with her star players over when to go pro, not making any effort to sway them to come back to her program for 2024-25.

The LSU coach said: “I’m just not the kind of coach to sit people down and influence them on what agents to pick or talk about what they want to do. … I try to stay away from having any kind of influential conversations.”

Meanwhile, Bluder has acknowledged that she’ll try to convince Clark to return to Iowa for a fifth and final season – albeit in a respectful way that leaves the ultimate choice to the player.

Clark, now the all-time NCAA women’s basketball leading scorer, would likely become the Indiana Fever’s No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft if she declares.

“My role is to kind of point out the pros and cons of both,” Bluder said last December via KWQC. “I know that she is really intelligent, and she’s got great parents who are gonna help her make the right decision for her. All of us can think we know what the right decision is, but ultimately, it has to be her decision.”

Caitlin Clark shares a close relationship with head coach Lisa Bluder. ( Image: Getty Images)

Bluder added: “You know, none of us can make that. We all think we can, we think we know what’s best for her, but ultimately it has to be her gut feeling.

So I think my role is to point out the opportunities that Iowa can provide and the benefits of staying for another year. Obviously [the Indiana Fever] are going to be doing the same thing.”

There are circumstantial differences between LSU and Iowa that may drive the contrasting tactics of Mulkey and Bluder. LSU will return a loaded roster regardless of how Reese and Van Lith proceed.

The same can’t necessarily be said for Iowa, which would need massive growth from post player Hannah Stuelke and immediate production from four top-100 recruits to fully offset the loss of the expected National Player of the Year.