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WACO, Texas — Kim Mulkey’s voice echoed loudly from the court as the fiery Baylor coach shouted instructions and encouragement to her players during their final on-campus practice before leaving for the NCAA Final Four.
Mulkey had promised to make no changes in how she will coach the undefeated Lady Bears this week, even after learning that she has Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis. And she showed it on Thursday, with her voice clearly audible from practice nearby as the team prepares for tonight’s semifinal showdown with Stanford.
VIDEO: COACH, PLAYER REACTIONS
“When I smile it’s crooked and when I talk, and talk loud, the hollowness in my hearing is weird,” Mulkey said. “But it’s not going to keep me from hollering.”
Mulkey disclosed the diagnosis before practice, unveiling then discussing a potential distraction for the team. She said she first noticed a strange feeling in her tongue while in Des Moines for the NCAA regional last weekend. Things got worse Wednesday when the coach had what she described as a weird feeling in her mouth while eating, then saw in a mirror on her way to practice that her left eye was drooping and her smile was crooked.
Concerned that the symptoms could be the onset of a stroke, Mulkey checked with team trainer Alex Olson, and he advised her to get immediate attention. The diagnosis of Bell’s palsy came after she saw two doctors and had an MRI exam that ruled out a tumor or a stroke.
“I know that I will recover,” Mulkey said. “It will take some time to recover and it may get worse before it gets better.”
* Skylar Diggins and Notre Dame are back in the Final Four for the second straight season, and the game plan for the national semifinals will look familiar.
Notre Dame (34-3) and Connecticut (33-4) meet for the fourth time this season tonight. The winner will face Baylor or Stanford in Tuesday’s championship.