Angel Reese was benched for the entire second half during LSU women’s basketball’s game against Kent State on Tuesday. The reigning Final Four MVP played only 13 minutes.
Although Angel Reese eventually came back into the game — briefly — during the first half, the incident appeared to stem from an early ill-advised three-pointer. Head coach Kim Mulkey called it a “coach’s decision” when asked why her star guard did not play for the majority of the evening and did not expand any further.
According to Glenn Guilbeau, who has covered LSU for more than 20 years, Reese was benched because of her attitude. A source told him that she is undergoing an “attitude adjustment.”
Reese did a great job of taking the high road after the game. Questions still loom about her status.
Meanwhile, her mom (accidentally?) started a beef with the mother of teammate Fla’jae Johnson. Johnson’s mom, Kia Brooks, claimed that Reese has a GPA of 2.0 or less. Yikes.
The online spat quickly escalated from there. Former Tigers players and other WNBA players with no ties to the program started to chime in with cryptic commentary.
A bunch of the posts were eventually deleted, but the internet lives forever. And whether Mulkey or LSU chooses to address it or not, there is clearly some drama in Baton Rouge.
When will Angel Reese return to the court?
Reese recorded 11 points and five rebounds in her 13 minutes against the Golden Flashes.
Hailey Van Lith scored 15 in 34 minutes. Five-star freshman Mikayla Williams dropped 42 in 36 minutes. Aneesah Morrow played 31 minutes. Last-Tear Poa played 27. Johnson played 21.
All of this goes to say that Reese was clearly not the priority. She was barely on the floor as five other guards saw significantly more time on the court. Mulkey sent her to the bench.
There is no clear answer as to whether Reese will get back in the starting lineup — or any lineup — during LSU’s game against Southeastern Louisiana. Kim Mulkey would not answer either way.
I guess you better have a ticket to see, huh? All right, you better get a ticket and see.
— Kim Mulkey
Reese’s agent, Jeanine Ogbonnaya, does not have any further context to provide. There is some speculation that her client may be suspended.
All of the questions will be answered when the LSU Tigers return to the court on Friday night.
If Reese plays, great. Move on. If not, there is a much bigger issue unfolding within the reigning national champion program.