BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – A parade and gathering honoring the LSU Tigers women’s basketball team are set for Wednesday, April 5.

The Championship Celebration started with a parade at 6:30 p.m. followed by a celebration in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center at 7 p.m.

Fans lined up along the parade route early. It started at the School of Music, down Dalrymple Drive, took a left on at Field House Drive, then continued to North Stadium Drive and Victory Hill.

The Tigers took down Iowa and Caitlin Clark, 102-85 on Sunday afternoon. Almost 10 million viewers watched the NCAA championship.

“To the LSU Lady Fightin’ Tigers basketball team, congratulations. Louisiana always had faith in you, but more importantly, you had faith in yourself and were smart enough not to listen to the experts who said you didn’t have a chance. Instead, you worked hard, demonstrated excellence, you competed, and as a result, you won the first-ever basketball national championship in the history of Louisiana State University,” said Governor John Bel Edwards.

“What a great day for Baton Rouge. We are indeed Red Stick Rising,” said Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome.

Graduate student guard Jasmine Carson had a total of 22 points in the matchup against Iowa in the National Championship game.

“I always believe in myself, you know I’ve been in a slump but I just want to be an inspiration to little kids, tell them to never give up. I didn’t expect to have the game that I had, but I always work hard, so, it worked out,” said Carson.

Coach Kim Mulkey was awarded a key to the city.

“I’m thrilled to be here today celebrating our national champions. You are a basketball powerhouse, you are elite, you’ve shattered records for points scored in a title game, double-doubles, and the list goes on. You have captivated and empowered women and young girls across the country. You’ve created space and inspired conversations around equity in collegiate sports. You’ve pushed past boundaries, giving women’s basketball a well-deserved seat at the table. I believe this is the beginning of the LSU’s women’s basketball dynasty” said LSU Board of Supervisors member, Valencia Jones.

After transferring from Missouri, graduate forward LaDazhia Williams knew she wanted to play for Coach Mulkey. Williams has announced declaring for the 2023 WNBA Draft.

“I just knew I wanted to come play for Coach Mulkey, we had nine new players, but our chemistry just keep getting stronger each day in practice,” said Williams.

“This coaching staff is the best in the business because we won the championship,” said LSU President William F. Tate IV.

Senior guard Alexis Morris followed Coach Mulkey throughout her collegiate basketball experience. Morris has also entered her name into the 2023 WNBA draft.

“Coach has been knowing me since I was a child and I can’t be more thankful and grateful for the opportunities she has given me to achieve my dreams and to become the woman I’ve always wanted to be,” said Morris.

“LSU, thank you. I appreciate your love, your unwavering support, and for believing in us. We couldn’t achieve this national championship without you all. This is it for me, so I just want you all to know that I love y’all with all my heart and I appreciate y’all for welcoming me with open arms. Thank you, coach, thank you, my teammates, thank you, everyone. I love y’all so much,” added Morris.

“Two years ago in April, I had seen this program at its best, but it’s best never won a championship, and that’s what I aspired to do when I was hired to come back to LSU,” said Coach Kim Mulkey.

Mulkey shared a piece of the player’s notebook stating goals for the team to accomplish.

“No. 1, win 90% of non-conference games, we did that. No. 2, finish in the Top 4 of the SEC, we did that. No. 3, win one game in the SEC tournament, we did that. No. 4, stay ranked in the Top 25 all year, and lastly, if you play defense and rebound the ball, you will surprise yourself,” said Mulkey. “So that’s the kind of goals that I gave our team.”