Women's Fastbreak On SI

Angel Reese's Influence Is Evident With LSU's Latest Star Recruit

The LSU women's basketball team might have found their next Angel Reese with their most recent five-star recruit commitment.

Grant Young

Mar 30, 2024; Albany, NY, USA; LSU Tigers forward Angel Reese (10) reacts to a foul call against the UCLA Bruins during the second half in the semifinals of the Albany Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at MVP Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Mar 30, 2024; Albany, NY, USA; LSU Tigers forward Angel Reese (10) reacts to a foul call against the UCLA Bruins during the second half in the semifinals of the Albany Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at MVP Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The women's college basketball community is buzzing on Monday, as the 2024-25 regular season is finally kicking off.

Former LSU Tigers superstar and current Chicago Sky standout Angel Reese made her excitement about this new season apparent by writing, "College Basketball is backkkk!! GEAUX TIGERSSSSSSSSS," in an X post on Monday.

And this is not the only support Reese has shown her alma mater recently. It was announced over the weekend that five-star recruit (and the No. 4 player of the 2025 recruiting class, according to On3) ZaKiyah Johnson has committed to LSU.

Johnson broke this news with an Instagram post that featured photos of her wearing an LSU jersey and flexing an LSU chain that wrote, "Baton Rouge I’m all yours 🐅💜".

The top two comments on the post were from Reese. One of them wrote, "congrats pretty girl 😍", while the other added, "the gworlsssss wit the edges and the lashes always do well in the BOOT! welcomeeee😇".

Clearly Reese sees some of herself in Johnson. And the feeling seems to be mutual, as Johnson praised the Sky superstar during a recent conversation with the media.

"A lot of people say I give off the Angel Reese vibe," Johnson said when asked about seeking advice from former LSU players, per Mason Horodyski. "You know, I like the fashion. But that's what LSU brings out, and that's another thing I really like about them. It's just a big stage and I love the glam and all that.

"But we also gonna get buckets, too," Johnson added.

While LSU fans will have to wait until next year to see whether Johnson can perform like Reese on the court, the team they have this season should provide plenty of excitement in the meantime.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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