After much speculation and anticipation, Kim Mulkey is indeed "coming home."

LSU announced the Hall-of-Fame hire to head its women's basketball program Sunday evening to cap a week of rumblings — equal parts excitement and skepticism — around the purple-and-gold fan base.

In many ways, Athletic Director Scott Woodward and company's hiring of an absolute legend of her sport can't be overstated.

And, even in tense times in Baton Rouge, with much larger issues weighing over LSU than any coaching change, the hiring shouldn't be diminished, either.

Enough of not only the athletic department, but the university as a whole's off-court and off-field failures during the past decade have come to light that shortcomings in women's basketball — or any other team's win-loss record — should be kept in perspective.

Luring Mulkey away from Baylor doesn't erase or fix the consistent institutional mishandling of Title IX issues which university leaders are now finally being pressed to address.

No matter on campus is of greater significance.

But the operation of the athletic department and university requires other work, including staffing, to be done.

And Woodward and his team could not have done a much better job with this task at hand — a clear sign that, at least in that area, times have changed drastically from his predecessor's watch.

Mulkey won nearly 96% of her games as a student-athlete at Louisiana Tech, including four straight Final Fours and the program's first two national championships.

The native of Tickfaw, less than 50 miles from Baton Rouge, also helped lead the country to gold medals in the 1983 Pan American Games and 1984 Olympics during her playing career.

She spent the first 15 years of her coaching career at her alma mater, during which time the Lady Techsters posted a 430-68 record (.864), reached seven Final Fours and won another national championship.

Mulkey took the reins in 2000 of a Baylor program that had lost 11 or more games the previous 22 seasons and failed to once reach the NCAA Tournament.

The Lady Bears proceeded to compile a 632-104 record during her 21 years, including three national championships and eight national coach of the year awards.

Baylor lost 11 games just once during that span and only missed an NCAA Tournament in her third season — a WNIT runner-up performance — and amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 — when the team boasted a 28-2 record and No. 3 ranking when the season came to a halt.

Mulkey's 600 wins in 700 games marked the fastest by any men's or women's college coach, beating Kentucky men's coach Adolph Rupp's 704-game effort.

And she is the only individual in NCAA history to win national championships as a basketball player, assistant coach and head coach — and one of just three to do so as both a player and a coach, joining men's coaches Bob Knight of Indiana and Dean Smith of North Carolina.

Slam Dunk. Blockbuster. Home Run. Grand Slam.

Whatever metaphor or moniker one prefers to attach, the hire fits every bit of any bill.

"Mulkey to LSU" isn't Nick Saban returning to the SEC from a mediocre stint in the NFL or Texas Tech giving Knight a second chance after a year away from the game.

It's another college program hiring Saban away from Alabama right now or, on the basketball side, Mike Krzyzewski away from Duke.

The mere discussion last week that LSU might contend to pluck Mulkey from Baylor generated the most buzz around the program since at least its last Final Four appearance in 2008 — with some fans contending even further back to the runs by Seimone Augustus and her teammates in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

Now, the hire is a reality.

Woodward's ability to get the deal done feels like somewhat of an early referendum, as he begins his third year at the helm.

Predecessor Joe Alleva's tenure was perhaps remembered or criticized most at his departure for football coaches Jimbo Fisher and Tom Herman landing at Texas A&M and Texas, respectively, after well-leaked discussions to potentially come to Baton Rouge.

Some fans even referenced those missed connections in recent days as they expressed doubt in the likelihood LSU could land Mulkey.

But here we are.

Woodward saw the opportunity to bring an undeniably elite coach to campus, prioritized the women's program to secure the necessary finances and signature and got that mission accomplished.

The hire of Mulkey serves as a clear sign of different times — at least so far as this component of the athletic director's job description.

Woodward and other leaders on campus will — and should — be judged more fully by their efforts to prove major changes in many other, more critical ways.

But, as far as this women's basketball task at hand, give sky-high credit where it's due.