Angel Reese may be about to start a new beef. Recently, her college coach spoke on Reese's reaction to ESPN projecting her to be drafted eighth in the 2024 WNBA Draft. “That was an insult to her. We talked about the things she needs to work on. Whether she gets picked higher than that or not, it still motivates her. She gets motivated in practice with someone going head-to-head with her or talking trash back at her. She’s a competitor," LSU head coach Kim Mulkey said.
Reese's tumble to the second half of the first round was perhaps the biggest surprise of M.A. Voepel's first WNBA mock draft of the year. Furthermore, Voepel chose to project Paige Bueckers as the second pick. Bueckers hasn't played a full season since her freshman year and missed all of last season with an ACL tear. While the 2024 draft class is one of the strongest and deepest in years, it's hard to see many teams passing on Reese. She was top-five in both points and rebounds per game last season.
Reese Ready For The WNBA
While Reese could play a fifth year in college thanks to the COVID exemption, she has made it clear that she is ready for the pros. “This is my senior year, and I have the opportunity to declare for the WNBA this year if I choose to. Personally, I aspire to make it to the WNBA. While I do have the option for another year, I do want to get out of college, start life outside of school, and pursue my WNBA dreams. It’s been a challenging but rewarding four years, and I’m excited to continue improving at LSU and beyond," she told WNBA legend Lisa Leslie for Glamour.
However, Reese isn't going to be displaying any "senior-itis" this season. She fully intends to pursue another National Championship. Meanwhile, LSU is still hunting for their first SEC title since 2008 or their first conference tournament title since 2003. To aid Reese, Mulkey and the Tigers have built a bona fide superteam around her. Along with two top-ten freshmen, LSU added transfers Aneesah Morrow from DePaul and Hailey Van Lith from Louisville. The Tigers kick off their 2023-24 campaign in Vegas against Colorado.
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