As the LSU women's basketball team embarks on their national title defense this season, the absence of star forward Angel Reese has raised questions.
Following LSU's dominant 106-47 victory over Texas Southern, coach Kim Mulkey addressed Reese's consecutive missed games, emphasizing the need to handle internal team matters discreetly.
“You always have to deal with locker-room issues,” Mulkey said after the game against Texas Southern, via Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press. “Sometimes you all know about them. Sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you want to know more than you’re entitled to know … I’m going to protect my players — always. They are like a family.”
The situation with Reese, a key figure in LSU's lineup and one of the most popular athletes in women’s college sports, is shrouded in mysterious. Her absence was noticeable in LSU's recent games, including being benched for a half against Kent State on Nov. 14, and being absent from the games against Southeastern Louisiana and Texas Southern. Mulkey's guarded comments about Reese have led to speculation, although she clarified that it's not a compliance issue.
“I’ve been doing this for 40 years,” Mulkey said. “You’re going to deal with stuff. Those kids are like my children and I’m not going to tell you what you don’t need to know, and that’s just the way I address things.”
Social media drama makes matters more complicated
Complicating the matter is recent social media drama involving critical comments from players' parents. Flau’Jae Johnson's mother, Kia Brooks, made a derogatory remark about Angel Reese’s academic performance, which has not been confirmed. This exchange has added to the tension surrounding Reese's absence.
Reese, known as “Bayou Barbie,” played a pivotal role in LSU's historic national title run last season and has a substantial following on social media. Her recent social media posts have urged caution about believing everything read online. Mulkey reiterated Reese's importance to the team but remained non-committal about her participation in the upcoming Cayman Islands Classic.
Off the court, Reese has been a trailblazer in leveraging her NIL deals, with endorsements valued over $1 million. Last season, she led the Southeastern Conference in scoring and rebounding, setting an NCAA record with 34 double-doubles.
As LSU prepares to face Virginia in the Cayman Islands on Friday, questions linger about Reese's role moving forward. Her impact on the court is undeniable, with her averaging 17 points and 10.3 rebounds in the first four games of this season. The team, initially ranked No. 1, experienced a setback with a loss to Colorado but hasn't lost since, albeit against non-major conference teams.
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