Angel Reese was noticeably absent for the LSU Tigers’ second straight game on Monday, and head coach Kim Mulkey didn’t want to offer much explanation as to why the LSU star, 21, was inexplicably away from the Tigers.
LSU didn’t need Reese on the field for a 59-point blowout win over Texas Southern on Monday, but Mulkey, 61, couldn’t avoid questions about her star during her postgame press conference.
However, Mulkey’s confusing response when asked about Reese’s absence did not provide any further information on the LSU star’s whereabouts or what is keeping her from playing with the team.
“You always have to deal with issues in the locker room,” Mulkey said Monday when asked about Reese’s current situation.
“It’s just part of training,” she continued. “In 40 years, I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have to deal with problems. That’s what coaches do.”
Mulkey added, “Sometimes you’ll know about them and sometimes you won’t,” regarding the aforementioned “issues” her team faces. “Sometimes you want to know more than you have a right to,” she continued.
Speaking personally to the reporter, Mulkey insisted: “I will protect my players. Always.”
LSU head coach Kim Mulkey.
Ethan Miller/Getty
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The highest-paid women’s basketball coach said her team is “like a family” and suggested a hypothetical comparison to the inner workings of a college team.
“Let me ask you this,” Mulkey continued. “If you discipline your own kids a little bit, do you think we have a right to know? That’s family in that locker room.”
When a reporter pushed for any information about Reese’s potential return, Mulkey said, “You have no right to that information, okay? Angel wasn’t in uniform tonight. Angel is part of this basketball team. And Angel will be back sooner rather than later. ”
Concluding her discussion with the media about Reese, Mulkey stated, “I’ve given you my answer.”
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Last week, LSU beat Kent State in a big way 109-79.
Reese had 11 points and five rebounds in the first half as LSU trailed Kent State by just two points, and Mulkey attributed benching Reese the entire second half to a “coach’s decision” when speaking with reporters after the game.
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Angel Reese handles the ball during the 2023 NCAA Championship game.Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty
Reese has been fairly quiet amid the missed games, likely to avoid speculation of a rift between her mother, Angel Reese Webb, and teammate Flau’jae Johnson’s mother, Kia Brooks, on social media.
The online drama started when Webb criticized Johnson’s grammar, according to Outkick.
The outlet reported that Brooks fired back at Webb in a comment on Instagram. “You definitely know grammar mistakes when your daughter has a 2.0 GPA or less,” adding, “Stop being petty, fake, and hateful, and take responsibility for your and your daughter’s actions.”
After the comment went viral on social media, Reese took to X (formerly Twitter) to seemingly address the rumor. “Please don’t believe everything you read,” she wrote in a post on Sunday.
Ahead of LSU’s road game at Southeast Louisiana, Mulkey dismissed any concerns about the feud on social media.
“Well, if you’re going to ask me about social media, I can cut you off,” Mulkey said. “I don’t know anything about that. Anyone here can tell you, I don’t know what’s on social media. I don’t know what people see, read, whatever. Dude, I’ve been doing this for 40 years. If there are negative things on social media, do you think it’s the first time I have to deal with it? Coach. Just train and prepare your team.”
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Reese and Mulkey were key components to LSU’s NCAA Championship win in April.
After the title, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards spoke highly of Mulkey during the team’s championship parade. “We all knew she could do it, but what she’s done to elevate this program and all of women’s sports is truly remarkable,” he told ESPN.
Speaking to LSU players, including Reese, Edwards said Louisiana “always believed” the team could bring a title to the school, ESPN reported.
Edwards added: “But more importantly, you had faith in yourself and you were smart enough not to listen to all the experts who said you had no chance.”
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