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Angel Reese
Reese with Maryland in 2022
No. 10 – LSU Tigers
PositionPower forward / Small forward
LeagueSoutheastern Conference
Personal information
Born (2002-05-06) May 6, 2002 (age 22)
Randallstown, Maryland, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 3[1] in (1.91 m)
Listed weight165 lb (75 kg)
Career information
High schoolSaint Frances Academy
(Baltimore, Maryland)
College
Career highlights and awards

Angel C. Reese (born May 6, 2002) is an American college basketball player for the LSU Tigers of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). She attended Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore, Maryland, where she was awarded with McDonald's All-American honors in 2020 and was ranked the number two player in her class by ESPN. Reese joined Maryland, but her freshman season in 2020–21 was interrupted by a fractured right foot. She was named a third-team All-American by the Associated Press as a sophomore, before transferring to LSU. In her junior season, Reese was a unanimous first-team All-American selection and set SEC single-season records in rebounds and double-doubles.

Early life and high school career

Reese was born on May 6, 2002,[2] in Randallstown, Maryland, to Angel and Michael Reese.[3] She grew up taking part in ballet, swimming and track, in addition to basketball. Reese played the point guard position before having two growth spurts by her first year of high school.[1] She attended St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Maryland, where she was a four-year varsity basketball player.[3] Early in her high school career, Reese was teammates with Nia Clouden.[4] As a freshman, she averaged 11.1 points and 11 rebounds per game, earning All-Metro first team honors from The Baltimore Sun.[5] Reese posted 20 points and 24 rebounds in a 56–55 overtime loss to Hamilton Heights Christian Academy at the High School Nationals semifinals.[6]

In her sophomore season, Reese was an All-Metro first team selection after averaging 17.6 points and 12.1 rebounds per game.[7] As a junior, she averaged 22.6 points and 19.3 rebounds per game and was named All-Metro Player of the Year.[8] In her senior season, she averaged 18.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.5 blocks per game, repeating as All-Metro Player of the Year. Reese won her fourth straight Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland (IAAM) A Conference title.[9] She was named to the McDonald's All-American Game and Jordan Brand Classic rosters.[10][11] Reese left St. Frances with the second-most career points in program history. Her number 10 jersey number was retired by the program, and she became the first player to receive the honor.[4] Reese competed for Team Takeover on the Amateur Athletic Union circuit and helped the team win the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League championship in 2019.[4] She played volleyball for St. Frances, with whom she won two IAAM titles.[3]

Recruiting

Reese was considered a five-star recruit, the number two player and the top wing in the 2020 class by ESPN.[1][12] On November 1, 2019, she committed to play college basketball for Maryland over offers from South Carolina, USC, Syracuse and Tennessee.[13] Reese became the highest-ranked recruit in program history.[14] She was drawn to the program in part by her relationship with head coach Brenda Frese, who had recruited her when she was in eighth grade.[13]

College career

Reese shoots a free throw for Maryland in 2021

Maryland

Freshman Season

On November 27, 2020, Reese made her debut for Maryland, recording a freshman season-high 20 points and nine rebounds in a 94–72 win over Davidson.[15] In her fourth game of the season, on December 3 against Towson, she suffered a Jones fracture in her right foot.[16] She underwent surgery and was sidelined until February 23, 2021.[17][18] Reese came off the bench following her return from injury.[19] As a freshman, she averaged 10 points and six rebounds per game,[20] earning Big Ten All-Freshman honors.[21]

Sophomore Season

Reese assumed a greater role in her sophomore season, developing into one of the top offensive rebounders in the nation.[22] In her season debut on November 9, she recorded 21 points and 14 rebounds in a 97–67 win against Longwood.[23] On December 2, 2021, Reese posted a season-high 26 points and 15 rebounds in an 82–74 win over Miami (Florida).[24] She led Maryland to the Sweet 16 of the 2022 NCAA tournament, where she had 25 points and nine rebounds in a 72–66 loss to top-seeded Stanford.[25] As a sophomore, Reese averaged 17.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per game, becoming the first Maryland player to average a double-double since 1975 when Angie Scott did the same.[14] She was named to the First Team All-Big Ten and the All-Defensive Team.[26] Reese received Third Team All-American honors from the Associated Press and made the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) All-American honorable mention.[27][28]

Transfer Portal

On April 5, 2022, she entered the transfer portal with several of her teammates.[29] She was the most heralded transfer in the nation and took visits to LSU, South Carolina and Tennessee.[30][31] On May 6, 2022, Reese transferred to LSU, as announced by the program, which competes in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).[32][33] She made the decision due to her trust in head coach Kim Mulkey and a desire to join a winning culture.[32]

LSU

Junior Season

In her junior season, Reese emerged as one of the best players in the nation.[34] On November 7, she made her debut for LSU, recording 31 points and 13 rebounds in a 125–50 win over Bellarmine.[35] On December 14, Reese posted a career-high 32 points and 15 rebounds in an 88–42 victory over Lamar.[36] On January 5, 2023, she scored 26 points and grabbed 28 rebounds in a 74–34 win over Texas A&M. She surpassed LSU's single-game rebounding record, held by Maree Jackson since 1977.[37] On January 23, Reese had her 20th straight double-double, with 14 points and 14 rebounds in an 89–51 win against Alabama. She broke the program record for consecutive double-doubles, set by Sylvia Fowles during the 2006–07 season.[38] On February 16, Reese had a career-high 36 points and 20 rebounds in a 69–60 win over Ole Miss.[39]

2023 NCAA Tournament

Reese led LSU to the Final Four and the national championship during the 2023 NCAA tournament. Reese won the tournament's Most Outstanding Player award.[40] She was previously named most outstanding player (MOP) of Greenville Regional 2 in the tournament. With her 32nd double-double, Reese broke the SEC single-season record held by Teaira McCowan of Mississippi State.[41][42] She set the program and SEC single-season rebounding records after posting 24 points and 12 rebounds in a 79–72 win over Virginia Tech, as LSU advanced to its first national championship game.[43] Reese earned unanimous first-team All-American, first-team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive Team honors.[44]

During the closing minutes of the game, Reese followed Iowa's Caitlin Clark around the basketball floor making a "you can't see me" gesture with her right hand.[45] The gesture, popularized by professional wrestler John Cena, implies that the person making the gesture is so fast that opponents cannot keep up with them.[46] Reese's gesture was widely seen as a taunt. Her use of the gesture was met with both criticism and support, with many people saying that it was in response to Clark using the same gesture earlier in the tournament and that by criticizing Reese and not Clark, people were employing a double standard.[46] Clark defended Reese for the using the gesture, saying, "I don't think Angel should be criticized at all. No matter which way it goes, she should never be criticized for what she did...I think everybody knew there was going to be a little trash talk. It's not just me and Angel. I don't think she should be criticized, like I said. LSU deserves it. They played so well. Like I said, I'm a big fan of hers."[47]

Reese defended her behavior after the game saying, "I don't fit in a box that y'all want me to be in. I'm too hood. I'm too ghetto. Y'all told me that all year. But when other people do it, y'all say nothing. So this was for the girls that look like me."[48]

White House controversy

On April 3, 2023, the LSU team was invited to the White House by First Lady of the United States Jill Biden.[49] In a break with tradition, Biden also extended an invitation to the losing team, the Iowa Hawkeyes, saying "I know we’ll have the champions come to the White House; we always do. So, we hope LSU will come — but, you know, I’m going to tell Joe I think Iowa should come too, because they played such a good game." Reese pushed back on the idea that the losing team should also be invited to the White House reception, tweeting that the invitation to Iowa was "A JOKE."[50] Reese later posted a comment in The Shade Room, saying “WE NOT COMING. period.”[51] The following day, Biden's press secretary walked back the comments and said that the President and First Lady were looking forward to hosting the LSU team in the near future.[51] Despite Biden's attempt to quell the controversy, on April 5, Reese insisted that Biden was wrong to invite Iowa and rejected any attempt by Biden to apologize. Reese said that if Biden really wants Iowa to attend the White House ceremony "because of sportsmanship," then the LSU team should celebrate their victory with the Obamas.

"[Iowa] can have that spotlight. We'll go to the Obamas. I'm gonna see Michelle. I'm gonna see Barack."[52][53] Although Reese said she would not attend a White House ceremony because of Biden's actions, the LSU athletic department confirmed that they would accept the invitation.[54] On April 7, 2023, Reese reversed herself and said she would attend the White House ceremony, telling ESPN SportsCenter, “At the beginning we were hurt, it was emotional for us because we know how hard we worked all year for everything and just being able to see that, that hurt us in the moment ... I’m going to do what’s best for the team and if they would like to go and we decide we’re going to go, then we’re going to go. But it was tough just seeing that in the beginning but I think we’ll all come together and I think it’ll be good.”[55] President Biden called Reese on April 7, 2023, congratulating her on LSU's victory.[56]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career best ° League leader

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2020–21 Maryland 15 4 15.1 .467 .167 .671 6.0 1.1 0.6 1.3 1.5 10.0
2021–22 Maryland 32 31 25.9 .500 .182 .683 10.6 1.5 1.7 1.1 2.5 17.8

Source[57]

Personal life

Reese's mother, Angel, played basketball for UMBC and professionally in Luxembourg. Her father, Michael, competed for Boston College and Loyola (Maryland) before embarking on a professional career.[58] Reese and her younger brother, Julian, were competitive rivals when they practiced together.[59] He plays college basketball for Maryland and he competed for St. Frances Academy.[60] Her stepbrother, Mikael Hopkins is a professional basketball player.[58] Her cousin, Jordan Hawkins, plays for the UConn Huskies.[61]In the same season Reese and LSU won the national championship, Hawkins and the UConn Huskies men's basketball team won the men's 2023 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game.

Reese majored in communications at the University of Maryland, College Park and aspires to be a television commentator after her basketball career.[59] She was a member of the honor roll in high school.[3] Reese has signed name, image and likeness (NIL) deals with several companies, including Amazon, Xfinity, Outback Steakhouse, Wingstop and supermarket chain Giant Food.[62][63] In February 2023, she signed an NIL deal with fashion brand Coach and gave bags to her teammates at LSU.[64]

Reese is nicknamed the "Bayou Barbie".[65]

References

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  2. ^ "Angel Reese (USA)'s profile - FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup 2021". FIBA. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d "Angel Reese". USA Basketball. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Andrews, Kyle J. (February 10, 2020). "St. Frances star, Maryland recruit Angel Reese builds a legacy with a love of basketball". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  5. ^ Dunn, Katherine (March 31, 2017). "All-Metro girls' basketball first and second teams". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
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  35. ^ Diaz, Cory (November 7, 2022). "Hi Angel Reese. Forward leads LSU women's basketball to record-setting win over Bellarmine". The Daily Advertiser. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
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  37. ^ Diaz, Cory (January 6, 2023). "Putting LSU women's basketball star Angel Reese's record performance into perspective". The Daily Advertiser. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  38. ^ Rabalais, Scott (January 24, 2023). "LSU great Sylvia Fowles passes 'crown' to Angel Reese after record-breaking performance". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  39. ^ Martel, Brett (February 17, 2023). "Reese scores season-high 36, No. 5 LSU tops Ole Miss 69-60". Associated Press. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  40. ^ Baer, Jack (April 2, 2023). "Final Four: LSU's Angel Reese named Most Outstanding Player after record double-double run". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
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  46. ^ a b Treisman, Rachel. "How a hand gesture dominated a NCAA title game and revealed a double standard". npr. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
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  48. ^ Schell, Lindsay. "Players at Nike Hoop Summit defend Angel Reese's trash talk: 'People better get used to it'". USA Today. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  49. ^ "Jill Biden wants champions LSU — and Iowa — at White House". weareiowa.com. April 3, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
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  51. ^ a b Morse, Ben (April 4, 2023). "Biden press secretary clarifies White House invitation is just for LSU after player calls it 'A JOKE'". CNN. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  52. ^ Dye, Natasha. "LSU's Angel Reese Rejects Jill Biden's Apology for White House Invite: 'You Said What You Said'". People. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  53. ^ Reyes, Lorenzo. "LSU's Angel Reese rejects Jill Biden's White House invite explanation: 'I don't accept that'". USA Today. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
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  55. ^ Zagoria, Adam. "LSU Star Angel Reese Says She Was 'Hurt' By Jill Biden's Comments, But Will Accept White House Invitation". Forbes. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  56. ^ Richards, Zoe. "President Biden calls Angel Reese to congratulate her on LSU's championship". NBC Sports. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  57. ^ "Angel Reese". Her Hoop Stats. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  58. ^ a b Villa, Walter (June 19, 2019). "Women's basketball recruiting: No. 2 senior prospect Angel Reese narrows college list to five". ESPN. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  59. ^ a b Worgo, Tom (March 8, 2022). "An Interview with Angel Reese". What's Up? Media. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  60. ^ Oyefusi, Daniel (June 29, 2020). "'It makes for a great storyline': Reese siblings look to carve their own basketball legacies at Maryland". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  61. ^ "Maryland Cousins Win NCAA Champions On Back-To-Back Nights". CBS News. CBS Baltimore. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  62. ^ Thames, Alanis; Tumin, Remy (July 24, 2022). "Pretty in Any Color: Women in Basketball Make the Style Rules". The New York Times. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  63. ^ Wood, Kyle (March 9, 2022). "Sibling Assist: For Angel and Julian Reese, NIL Comes With a Familial Advantage". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  64. ^ Nagy, Zach (February 6, 2023). "LSU's Angel Reese Uses NIL Deal To Show Appreciation For Teammates". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  65. ^ Diaz, Cory (February 2, 2023). "LSU women's basketball star Angel Reese embraces 'Bayou Barbie' nickname. Merch may be next". The Daily Advertiser. Retrieved February 11, 2023.