When last season ended, Lynn Kennedy and his staff wanted to get bigger and add depth to the middle.

On Thursday, McNeese State women’s head basketball coach finished that process.

The second-year Cowgirls coach announced the addition of Auburn transfer forward Paris Mullins to the roster. The junior played a limited role on last year’s Auburn team.

“We are excited to add Paris to our team,” Kennedy said. “She will bring experience at multiple post positions and has an unbelievable passion for the game. She is a winner and brings a championship mind-set.”

The 6-foot 2 Mullins played five games last year for the Southeastern Conference Tigers, averaging 9 minutes in those games. She scored 32 points and had 12 rebounds.

Mullins transferred to Auburn from Butler (Kan.) Community College where she played one season. Prior to that played one season at Walters State (Tenn.) Community College.

Mullins averaged 10 points and 5.7 rebounds a game at Butler, starting 21 of 23 games. She earned all-conference honors and helped Butler to the junior college national tournament.

As a freshman at Walters State, Mullins scored 13.4 points and 7.3 rebounds a game, shooting 48.3 percent from the floor. Starting 25 of 29 games, she recorded seven double-doubles while helping the Senators to a 20- 10 record.

Mullins has two years of eligibility remaining and fills McNeese’s scholarship limit.

“The two things we felt we needed after last year was experience and height,” said Kennedy, whose team finished 13-15 and 8-6 in the Southland Conference in his first season since arriving from Portland State.

“We didn’t have a lot of depth when it came to bigs last year,” Kennedy said. “We needed to address that.”

Mullins is the fourth player who stands 6-2 or bigger the Cowgirls have added this offseason. Add that to the return of Autumn Watts (6-1), who missed all of last year with a knee injury, and McNeese is much deeper in the paint.

Kennedy has said Watts’ rehab is going well.

“She is ahead of schedule and will really give us a big boost,” Kennedy said of the transfer from New Mexico.

Last season, forward Divine Tanks, a Barbe High graduate, was the Cowgirls’ lone constant force in the paint.