- Reese did not play in the second half of a 109-79 win over Kent State on Tuesday
- Tweets from former teammate Alexis Morris pointed out Reese’s “attitude” problem
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LSU women’s basketball star Angel Reese did not play Friday against Southeastern Louisiana University as drama continues to unfold within the team.
The defending champions got off to a rough start, losing to No. 20 seed Colorado in their opening match.
Despite winning every game since, Reese was benched for the second half in a win over Kent State on Nov. 14 before being completely absent against SLU on Friday.
“Do you want me to explain why?” coach Kim Mulkey said of Reese’s absence after the game.
“It’s very clear that Angel is not in uniform, Angel is part of this basketball team, we hope to see her sooner rather than later. That’s all you need to know.’
Angel Reese was not present during LSU’s 73-50 win over Southeastern Louisiana on Friday
Coach Kim Mulkey did not provide details about her decision to keep Reese off the field
According to Outkick’s Glen Guilbeausaid a source close to the team that Mulkey is benching Reese to try to address the junior’s “attitude” problem.
While the report has not been fully proven, a series of comments on social media between parents and former teammates appear to support this claim.
The exchange started when Reese’s mother, Angel Webb Reese, posted a pointed message to her Instagram Story.
“People please don’t send me long text messages with a bunch of grammatical errors, it gives me a headache, how do I know you said what you said if I don’t understand what you’re saying,” she wrote.
The apparent target of the message was Kia Brooks, the mother of Reese’s sophomore teammate Flau’jae Johnson. Brooks responded on her own Instagram Story.
Reese’s mother posted a message on her Instagram Story, apparently targeting Kia Brooks
Brooks, mother of sophomore Flau’jae Johnson, responded by calling Reese “fake and hateful.”
“You are certainly aware of grammar errors if your daughter has a GPA of 2.0 or less,” Brooks wrote. “In fact, when you wrote your clever message, you didn’t capitalize or use full stops.”
Brooks called Reese’s mother petty, fake and hateful while telling her to take responsibility for her daughter’s actions.
Former LSU player and Connecticut Sun guard Alexis Morris also chimed in with a series of cryptic tweets on Thursday.
“You can’t pay me to bash Kim (Mulkey),” Morris wrote in a tweet.
“I switched gears to get me. Now you’re all falling for it. never choose power over loyalty free play. I showed real love, not for marketing politics. but realism always prevails’ she wrote on another.
LSU has won their last four games after losing to No. 20 ranked Colorado on opening night
Reese rose to fame after LSU entered the NCAA tournament and defeated Iowa for the title
Reese’s stardom skyrocketed after LSU’s incredible run to the NCAA Championship in April.
During the offseason, Reese starred in a Sports Illustrated swimsuit, appeared in a Cardi B music video, and became Rebook’s first signed athlete under Shaquille O’Neal.
After the loss to Colorado, Mulkey commented on the lack of leadership on the team without naming names. But many felt her comments were in reference to the Most Outstanding Player of 2023.
“I’m disappointed and surprised in some of the individual players who I thought would just be stronger and have a little bit of fight and leadership,” Mulkey said.
After pointing out the team’s lack of intensity and physicality, Mulkey said, “The things I’ve described can be fixed.” But I don’t know how long it’s going to take to fix it.”
LSU’s next game will be against Texas Southern on Nov. 20. Whether or not Reese will be in uniform remains a question.