LSU Tigers star forward Angel Reese has been absent from her team's recent two games despite being in good health. Her non-participation remains undisclosed, sparking various speculations about the situation.
Despite an initial 92-78 loss in their opening game against the Colorado Buffaloes, LSU has rebounded by claiming victories in the following five matches.
However, this situation is still not an ideal start to their championship defense campaign, and they may want to get over it sooner rather than later.
Angel Reese pulled out
The 6-foot-3 player did not play in the second half of LSU's 109-79 victory over Kent State on November 14, attributed to what LSU head coach Kim Mulkey referred to as a coach's decision.
Despite her absence in the latter part of the game, Reese had already contributed 11 points and 5 rebounds in the first two quarters.
Angel Reese misses first game
During a brief road trip to Southeastern Louisiana, the LSU star was notably absent from the team as they secured a convincing 73-50 victory.
Addressing the situation, Mulkey stated, "Angel is part of this basketball team, and we hope to see her sooner than later."
However, the 61-year-old tactician did not explain further and declined to answer any additional questions regarding Reese's absence.
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Speculations rise
After her initial absence, a wave of speculation surrounding Reese's situation began to surface. Numerous unconfirmed reports circulated, suggesting various reasons such as attitude issues, GPA problems leading her to being silently suspended, and a feud involving her mother.
Angel Webb Reese, the hooper's mother, posted on Instagram stories criticizing the grammar usage of an unspecified person.
The situation escalated when LSU guard Flau'jae Johnson's mother, Kia Brooks, made a stunning response to Reese's mom, even revealing additional details.
"You definitely know about grammar errors when your daughter got a 2.0 or less GPA. And in fact when writing your smart message, you didn't capitalize nor did you use any periods," Brooks ranted on Instagram Stories.
Brooks continued, "Stop being petty, fake and hateful, and take responsibility for you and your daughters actions. Your just as responsible you raised her that way."
Reese responded on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, following these events.
Another missed game for LSU star
Reese was absent for the second consecutive game as LSU secured a commanding home victory against Texas Southern with a score of 106-47 on Monday night, November 20.
Mulkey addressed the repeated inquiries about the situation involving the 2023 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
"You always have to deal with locker room issues. Sometimes you don't know about it. Sometimes you want to know more than you're entitled to know. I'm going to protect my players, always. They are more important," the four-time national champion coach said.
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