Rutgers Women's Basketball adds LSU assistant Daphne Mitchell to new staff
Gary Redus II has made his first addition to his new Rutgers staff.
The incoming Scarlet Knights’ head women’s basketball coach will add LSU assistant coach Daphne Mitchell to the coaching staff, Tigers’ head coach Kim Mulkey confirmed in a press conference following LSU’s selection to the NCAA Tournament.
Neither Redus II nor Mitchell will be a part of the Tigers’ postseason run as the two-seed in the Sacramento region.
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Mitchell’s background
Mitchell has worked with LSU head coach Kim Mulkey at multiple stops and has been a key contributor to one of the Tigers’ program’s strengths, including developing post players.
Another connection also came into play between Mitchell and Redus II. The incoming coach’s wife, Tiffany, is very close with Mitchell, as the two played their college ball together at Georgia Tech.
As for Mitchell as a coach, like Redus, she brings championship experience, player development success, and another strong recruiting background. She helped the Tigers win the 2023 national championship. She played a major factor in the program’s ability to develop front-court talent and should be able to do the same at Rutgers, especially competing in a physical league like the Big Ten.
Mitchell is credited with helping to develop elite rebounders such as Angel Reese and Aneesah Morrow, both of whom became dominant at LSU and were selected seventh overall in the 2024 and 2025 WNBA Drafts.
In addition to player development, Mitchell brings strong experience in recruiting, scouting, and game preparation from her time at LSU and Baylor. Add in the relationship with the Redus family, and the hire makes plenty of sense for the Scarlet Knights.
Her LSU Tigers bio partially reads:
Mitchell’s coaching experience was key in helping the Tigers win their first national championship in 2023. Working with the post players every day in practice, Mitchell helped develop a critical group for LSU’s championship whose play peaked both offensively and defensively throughout the NCAA Tournament.
Since then, Mitchell has helped elite post players like Angel Reese and Aneesah Morrow reach the WNBA. Both Reese and Morrow were selected seventh overall by the Chicago Sky and Connecticut Sun, respectively. Under Coach Bob Starkey and Mitchell’s guidance, they both became dominant forces in the post, as they rank in the top 10 of the LSU record books in career rebounds (Angel Reese at No. 5 – 996; Aneesah Morrow at No. 10 – 854)
Mitchell worked under Coach Mulkey for six seasons in Waco where she assisted in recruiting, film, social media, scouting and game preparation.
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE….
- 2010-12: Tennessee Tech (Assistant Coach)
- 2012-13: Jacksonville (Assistant Coach)
- 2013-15: Murray State (Assistant Coach)
- 2015-21: Baylor (Assistant Coach)
- 2021-PRESENT: LSU (Assistant Coach)
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