LSU Star Angel Reese Makes Decision About Basketball Future

On Monday night, the entire basketball community was focused on the rematch between LSU, led by Angel Reese, and Iowa, led by Caitlin Clark. In last year’s Women’s NCAA Tournament, it LSU came away victorious, defeating Iowa to win the National Championship.

While it wasn’t a National Championship Game, the stakes were still high with a trip to the Final Four on the line. This time around, it was Iowa who was able to exact some revenge, winning 94-87 to advance and face off against UConn.

When the game came to an end for LSU, attention turned to what the future may hold. Would Angel Reese be coming back to school, or would she move on to the next phase of her basketball career and declare for the WNBA Draft? On Wednesday, we got that answer.

Reese revealed, in an interview with Vogue, that she will be leaving LSU and declaring for the 2024 WNBA Draft. She is one of the biggest names in what is shaping up to be a loaded draft class, which is being headed by Clark, the projected No. 1 pick.

“I’ve done everything I wanted to in college,” Reese told Vogue about her decision. “I’ve won a national championship, I’ve gotten [Southeastern Conference] Player of the Year, I’ve been an All-American. My ultimate goal is to be a pro — and to be one of the greatest basketball players to play, ever. I feel like I’m ready.” (H/T ESPN)

Angel Reese’s college basketball resume is as impressive as anyone’s. After spending her first two seasons playing at Maryland, she burst onto the scene with LSU. She helped lead the program to their first National Title, earning the Final Four Most Outstanding Player Award last season.

She set an NCAA record with 34 double-doubles last season, which resulted in a unanimous selection as a first-team All-American. This season, she was selected as SEC Player of the Year.

Her head coach at LSU, Kim Mulkey, had some really nice words to share after it was announced that she would be leaving the school to pursue her professional basketball career.

“Angel transferred to LSU after my first season in Baton Rouge and she helped transform our program,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey said in a statement. “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.”

Angel Reese is projected to be selected in the first round of the WNBA Draft, going No. 7 overall right now to the Minnesota Lynx. That would be a coincidental landing spot for her, as she could look to follow and replicate the success of Sylvia Fowles, the only player who is ahead of her for several records at LSU.