Star player cheered on Kim Mulkey during championship seasons at Baylor, now a member of coach’s championship staff at LSU

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - A star basketball player from Central Texas who was in the gym as a fan to witness all three of Kim Mulkey’s three national championships at Baylor is enjoying his first national championship as a new member of her staff at LSU.

Joe Schwartz, 26, of Waco, joined Mulkey’s staff as assistant director of basketball operations when she made the move to LSU from Baylor in 2021.

He said it was surreal to be able to experience the thrill of victory alongside a coach he’s followed his entire life.

Schwartz was in the crowd as a young boy in 2005 in Indiana when Baylor defeated Michigan State to win its first national title.

He traveled to Denver in 2005 and watched as Mulkey cut down the net after defeating Notre Dame. He was also in Tampa, FL., when the Lady Bears took down Notre Dame again for Mulkey’s third title as a head coach.

Schwartz, a lifelong basketball fan, never dreamed he’d coach his way to the same bench as the legend.

“To see Coach Mulkey leading the charge is just incredible, and the fact that I’m a small part of it, is just so special,” Schwartz said. “A young kid from Waco who watched coach cut down nets three times, it was really special to climb that ladder and cut down my first net.”

Joe was a standout basketball player at Vanguard College Preparatory School in Waco where he graduated in 2014.

He was a three-time member of the All-State team and was named Super Centex Player of the Year by the Waco Tribune Herald.

Joe attended the University of Texas in Austin where he played four years of basketball under Head Coaches Rick Barnes and Shaka Smart.

When the opportunity came about to join Mulkey as she began to rebuild a program at LSU, Joe never hesitated.

“It’s just so special to work for Coach Mulkey, and to be part of this staff who has done an incredible job, of not only recruiting players to LSU, but bringing the alumni back, bringing the city back,” he said.

Joe said Sunday night’s championship game against Iowa, which broke attendance records and television ratings with 9.9 million people tuning in to watch, was an experience he’ll never forget.

He called Iowa’s Caitlyn Clark “one of the best players I’ve ever watched in person.”

“I think we’re growing the game of women’s basketball,” Schwartz said. “We’re building something special on a national level.”

Joe said the fans included longtime LSU diehard fans, and new fans Mulkey and her team have attracted.

He also noted many Waco and Baylor fans packed the stands.

“As you dissect that purple and gold crowd, and look a little bit deeper, you see her former players. You see her former fans from Baylor. You see her Waco people, and to see that, it just shows the lasting impact that she has on people.”

Joe’s mother, Loren, the former chair of the Waco Chamber of Commerce; his father, Martin; and his older brother, Jake, were all there to support Joe and LSU on Sunday.

Joe says he plans to celebrate the win for the next couple of weeks before locking in and looking ahead to next season.

“I’m so thankful that Coach offered me the job here,” Schwartz said. “I’m so thankful I made the decision to come work for her and I’m looking forward to what we have to do in the future.”

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