After having a remarkable 2022 campaign that was capped off with a 102-85 victory over Iowa in the National Championship game, the reigning, NCAA Women’s Basketball Champion LSU Lady Tigers 2023 season is playing out like a reality TV show.
Louisiana State University’s head coach Kim Mulkey reached the pinnacle of success by assembling a championship team that consisted of nine transfers and a freshman. Now the Lady Tigers legendary head coach and their star player Angel Reese are at odds, and the drama is unfolding in public view.
A product of Baltimore, Maryland, Angel Reese made her debut with the Maryland Terrapins back in November 2020. After two seasons with the Terps, Reese decided to enter the transfer portal, and travel down south to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to join Kim Mulkey and LSU.
Given the nickname “Bayou Barbie,” Angel Reese helped lead the Lady Tigers to twenty-three consecutive victories. The win streak would come to an abrupt end when LSU lost to then No.1 ranked University of South Carolina by the score of 88-64.
LSU would go on to win 5 of their last 6 games and close out the season with a record of 28-2. During postseason play, LSU reeled off five victories in the national tournament, as they earned a spot in the Final Four. LSU made it to the Final Four on five previous occasions, but unfortunately, they were unsuccessful.
This time around, LSU took advantage of their golden opportunity as the Tigers rallied back from a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Virginia Tech in the semi-final game by the score of 79-72.
In the championship game, LSU claimed their first National title by defeating AP (Associated Press) Women’s College Basketball Player of the Year Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes. Angel Reese won the tournament Most Outstanding Player award as she averaged 21.3 points and 15.2 rebounds.
LSU started this year ranked No.1, and in the November 6 season opener, their opposition, No. 20 Colorado scored a stunning 92-78 upset victory. LSU bounced back with two consecutive blowout victories, and then more drama unfolded.
In their game against unranked Kent State, the Lady Tigers of LSU held a slim 39-37 halftime lead. In what Kim Mulkey would later classify as a coach’s decision, Mulkey benched All-American Angel Reese. Aneesah Morrow replaced Reese and finished the game with 17 points, as LSU won by the score of 109-79.
After the benching incident, Angel Reese’s mother, Angela Webb Reese went on social media and criticized a lengthy message that was sent to her.
“Folks pls do not send me long text msgs with a bunch of grammatical errors it gives me a headache,” Webb wrote. “How do I know you said what you said if I can’t understand what you’re saying?”
Initially, it was unclear, but it would later be revealed that the comment was a shot at the mother of Angel Reese’s teammate Flau’jae Johnson. Johnson’s mother Kia Brooks responded with a message of her own.
“You definitely know about grammatical errors when your daughter got a 2.0 or less GPA. And in fact when writing your smart message, you didn’t capitalize nor did you use any periods,” Brooks stated.
On the basketball court, Angel Reese hasn’t been with the team for the past two games. After blowout victories against Southeastern Louisiana, and Texas Southern, Kim Mulkey has addressed the media, but she hasn’t provided any information in regards to why Angel Reese isn’t playing.
In the midst of all the drama, LSU is currently ranked No. 7 as they attempt to proceed with their quest to repeat as national champions. LSU’s next game is scheduled for Friday, November 24. The question that nobody is giving an answer to is will Angel Reese be dressed and ready to play on game day?
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