LSU WBB: Angel Reese Dominating Rookie Season, Praises Kim Mulkey's Guidance

Reese handled business in her homecoming game on Thursday, Mulkey in attendance.

May 25, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) looks to shoot a free throw against the Connecticut Sun during the second half of a WNBA game at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky improved to 4-5 on the season after taking down the Washington Mystics on Thursday night.

For Reese, it was a homecoming after playing in Capital One Arena near her hometown of Baltimore.

LSU head coach Kim Mulkey hopped on a flight and made it in for Reese's showdown against the Mysitcs where she ultimately pieced together her best performance as a pro.

She ended the night with 16 points, 11 rebounds and five steals along with three assists. Reese recorded her third double-double of the season.

What a homecoming for Angel Reese where she was embraced by her former coach Kim Mulkey and tons of love including her family after playing against the Mystics 💪

Reese finished with 16 PTS, 11 REB, 3 AST, 5 STL pic.twitter.com/XvHSGc6UBb

— WNBA (@WNBA) June 7, 2024

Reese, the catalyst behind the Tigers' National Championship a season ago, has helped transform women's basketball after being the face of the sport for the last two years.

Now, she's begun her professional career after being selected as a Top 10 pick in this year's draft.

In her two seasons at LSU, Reese helped propel the women’s basketball program to new heights, leading the Tigers to their first NCAA Championship last season. She has 61 double-doubles at LSU, trailing only Sylvia Fowles in school history.

The Baltimore, Maryland native had three separate streaks of at least 10 straight double-doubles during her time in Baton Rouge. Reese averaged 20.9 points and 14.4 rebounds per game in her time at LSU.

Reese became the first player since Wendy Scholtens from Vanderbilt in 1989 and 1990 to lead the league in both scoring and rebounding in consectuive seasons and was named this season’s SEC Player of the Year. Reese had seven games with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds over the past two seasons.

Reese praised her former head coach and the LSU program on Thursday night:

.@Reese10Angel on her former @LSUwbkb Head Coach, Kim Mulkey:

“…She’ll support you no matter what. She’s like a mother to me. She calls me still, she checks in on me making sure I’m good. Checks in on my family, calls my grandma…I love Coach Mulkey…”#skytown #WNBA pic.twitter.com/N1R9UHzDIu

— SUMMER (@SummerDC_) June 7, 2024

“Angel transferred to LSU after my first season in Baton Rouge and she helped transform our program,” Coach Kim Mulkey said. “When she came here, she said she wanted to be here for two seasons and she has lived up to that. What a remarkable two years it has been. We are all indebted to Angel Reese for the contributions she has given to this program, helping us win our first National Championship, and the contributions she made on our university as a whole. She not only helped grow our program but had an impact on growing the game of women’s basketball across the country. We wish her good luck as she moves to the WNBA and look forward to see all that she accomplishes. We will miss her but will always cherish the two year’s we got to spend with her. Forever LSU.”

In her first season at LSU during the 2022-23 season, Reese had a historic year, averaging 23.0 points and 15.4 rebounds per game, leading the SEC in both stats to garner First Team All-America accolades. She began the season with 23 consecutive double-doubles, breaking Fowles’ record of 19 consecutive double-doubles at LSU; it was also the longest double-double streak to begin a season in SEC history.

In total, Reese recorded 34 double-doubles to set the NCAA record. She also set the SEC record with 555 rebounds, eight shy of the NCAA record. Reese made 240 free throws of 339 attempts, both SEC records. She had multiple viral moments such as the “Shoe Block” against Arkansas and the performance of a tik tok dance against Tennessee which helped her Bayou Barbie brand skyrocket.

This season, Reese continued to dominate, averaging 18.6 points and 13.4 rebounds per game, once again leading the SEC in both categories.

Reese had 27 double-doubles on the year and recorded a double-double in each of LSU’s final 16 games of the season. The SEC Player of the Year scored 20+ points in 16 games throughout the year and grabbed 15+ rebounds in 13 games, including three games with 20 rebounds. She had one 25/20 game against Texas A&M.

“I’m leaving college with everything I ever wanted,” Reese said in a video after declaring for the draft. “A degree, a national championship and this platform I could have never imagined. This is for the girls who look like me that’s going to speak up in what they believe in. It’s unapologetically you. To grow women’s sports and to have an impact on those coming next. This was a difficult decision, but I trust the next chapter because I know the author. Bayou Barbie out.”

Now, it's full steam ahead to Chicago after being the No. 7 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft after a historic college career.

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